NZ Drones Academy
CAA Part 141 certified school covering Part 101 and Part 102 courses, plus a Night Rating and Operational Competency Assessment.
Visit website ↗These schools train drone pilots in New Zealand, from first flights to commercial work. Programs, schedules, and pricing change often, so contact each school directly for current details.
New Zealand has no individual pilot-licensing category for the lower-risk tier of drone flying; Part 101 operators simply self-certify. For Part 102 operations, the CAA issues an Unmanned Aircraft Operator Certificate (UAOC) to the operating organisation rather than to an individual pilot, based on an assessment of the organisation's risk-identification and mitigation documentation, including an application form, compliance matrix, operations manual, and risk assessment.
Completing a course from a Part 141 training organisation is not itself a Part 102 certificate; a separate application to the CAA is required. Individual pilot competency is instead evidenced by an Operational Competency Assessment or a training organisation's own Professional RPAS Pilot Certificate, not a personal government licence.
Civil drone operation in New Zealand is regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA NZ). Part 101 is the default rule covering most flying in New Zealand, both recreational and much commercial use, for drones under 25 kilograms. It requires no personal pilot certificate and no aircraft registration; pilots self-certify compliance with rules like flying within visual line of sight, daylight hours only, a 120 metre ceiling, getting consent before flying over people or property, staying 4 kilometres clear of aerodromes, and yielding to crewed aircraft.
Part 102 covers anything outside those limits, such as agricultural spraying, flying over people without consent, night flying beyond a shielded exception, or drones over 25 kilograms.
This page is for general orientation and may not reflect the latest regulatory changes. It is not legal advice: confirm current rules, fees, and permitted zones with your country's civil aviation authority before you fly.
A listing in this directory is not an endorsement, accreditation, or certification of any school, and does not indicate affiliation with or vetting by us. Confirm a school's credentials and authorizations directly with the school and the relevant authority.
No. New Zealand has no individual pilot licence for ordinary drone flying. Under Part 101 you self-certify against the operating rules, and there is no personal certificate to earn and no aircraft registration to file. That differs from Australia, Canada and the United States, where a personal certificate is the normal route.
Training still matters in two specific places. Holding an approved pilot qualification is one of the requirements for flying within 4 km of an aerodrome, so the qualification is what opens that airspace to you rather than being a general licence. And for Part 102, the certificate is issued to the organisation, not the pilot: the nominated prime person has to demonstrate knowledge of the exposition and the rules in an interview with a CAA inspector. A Part 102 course is recommended for that, not required.
The CAA does not publish a flat application fee for a Part 102 certificate. It charges a standard hourly rate, and the prepayment for a given service is set out in the CAA form for that service rather than in a central price list. A 10% increase to fees, levies and charges applied from 1 July 2025. On timing, the CAA stated on its Part 102 application page that, as at February 2024, the delay between receiving a new application and assigning it to an RPAS inspector was upward of 6 months. That figure is the CAA's own and carries its date; confirm the current wait with the CAA before planning around it. The application pack is the application form, a fit and proper person questionnaire, an exposition or operations manual written for your operation, and a compliance matrix mapping the exposition to the rules.
There is no individual pilot licence for ordinary drone flying. Part 101 operators self-certify against the operating rules.
Two reasons. An approved pilot qualification is one of the requirements for flying within 4 km of an aerodrome. And if you are going for Part 102, the prime person has to satisfy a CAA inspector on the exposition and the rules in an interview, which a Part 102 course prepares you for.
It is a certificate issued to an operating organisation rather than to an individual pilot, covering operations outside the Part 101 limits.
The CAA stated, as at February 2024, that the delay before a new application is assigned to an inspector was upward of 6 months. Confirm the current position with the CAA.
The CAA does not publish a flat fee. It charges a standard hourly rate, with the prepayment for each service set out in the relevant CAA form.
CAA Part 141 certified school covering Part 101 and Part 102 courses, plus a Night Rating and Operational Competency Assessment.
Visit website ↗
CAA Part 141 certified (TR85222) training in Mount Maunganui, taught by licensed pilots and examiners.
Visit website ↗
CAA Part 141 certified (TR104722) in Auckland, running an online Part 101 and Part 102 Professional RPAS Pilot Certificate course.
Visit website ↗
NZ Drones is a CAA Part 102 certified New Zealand drone operator providing aerial photography, mapping, thermal imaging, inspections, and drone pilot training nationwide and internationally.
Visit website ↗
DroneMate offers drone consultancy, pilot training, surveying courses, and Part 101/102 certification for drone operators in New Zealand.
Visit website ↗
In-person and online drone operation training: beginner and advanced courses, night flying, agricultural spray applications, flight testing, and complex operations.
Visit website ↗
Commercial drone pilot training and agricultural operations including crop spraying, weed management, surveying and cleaning.
Visit website ↗
Drone training and flight simulator training courses for pilots in Whitianga.
Visit website ↗Nebli gives your clients a live view of every flight you fly for them. One link in the browser, nothing to install.
If you run a drone training program anywhere in Australia or New Zealand, we would like to include it. Send us the school name, website, and a short description; listing is free.
Email partners@neblihq.com