← All countriesTravel check for New ZealandChecklist for your trip: registration, insurance, drone and batteries on the plane.
Plan
Drone rules: New Zealand
Last checked: October 1, 2026
Maximum altitude
120 m
Registration
Not required
No registration is needed for recreational drones.
Insurance
Not required
Not legally required, but recommended.
For tourists
Straightforward outside conservation land. On DOC land – i.e. almost all national parks – you need a permit from the Department of Conservation for take-off, landing and hovering; in the green zone you get it instantly online.
Further rules
- In New Zealand, no aircraft registration is required for recreational drones, and insurance is not required by law either (but is recommended). The maximum flight altitude is 120 metres (400 feet), and without clearance you must keep at least 4 kilometres away from airfields; you also need the consent of landowners and of the people you fly over.
- Important special case: on DOC conservation land (which covers practically all national parks), every take-off, landing or hover requires a permit from the conservation authority DOC. The land is divided into three zones: green (automatic online approval, around 180 NZD), orange (case-by-case assessment, considerably more expensive) and red (only very rarely approved).
- On specific rules for Māori cultural sites (such as marae or ancient burial grounds), no centrally documented, concrete list of prohibitions could be found on the official DOC pages – the zoning takes cultural values into account in general, but details may vary locally or by region. If in doubt, ask on site.
- Secondary sources cite fines for violations starting at around 500 NZD, with possible confiscation of the drone in national parks – officially stated amounts could not be found.
- For tourists, New Zealand is straightforward outside DOC land; on conservation land (i.e. most of the classic sights) an online permit must be obtained beforehand, although in the green zone this is possible immediately.
Sources
This overview is not legal advice and not an official statement — laws change, and we cannot guarantee that every entry is fully up to date. Before your flight, please also check the official source or the local civil aviation authority.