40923 (2026). Tangi Utikere to the Associate Minister of Transport

Written Question

Published date: 28 Sep 2026

Metadata

Document type:	Written Question
Parliament number:	54
Question number:	40923 (2026)
Question asked:	14 Sep 2026
Member asking:	Tangi Utikere
Portfolio:	Associate Minister of Transport
Minister replying:	Hon James Meager
Answer received:	22 Sep 2026
Status:	Question Answered
Reply type:	Reply
Document ID:	WQ_40923_2026
Document guid:	3028c78a-0c3f-46b7-b489-cbf10da72232

40923 (2026). Tangi Utikere to the Associate Minister of Transport: What decisions, if any, had he taken regarding the use of a notification pathway for agricultural drone operations, the removal of Civil Aviation Rule Part 102 certification requirements, and pilot licensing requirements, before the Technical Advisory Group for the agricultural drone project under the Civil Aviation Rules Update Programme was established, and on what dates was each of those decisions taken?

Hon James Meager: On 30 June 2026, I received OC260481 Civil Aviation Rules: Policy options for better enabling agricultural spraying drone operations. I then publicly announced my policy decision to create a notification pathway for standard agricultural drone operations on 20 August 2026.