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Did the Minister receive any advice or evidence that replacing certification with notification for aerial application by agricultural drones would present no greater environmental risk than agrichemical application using tractors or combine harvesters? and 2 other questions

Answered 41016, 41017, 41020 (2026)
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Asked by

Julie Anne Genter

Member for Rongotai · Green Party

Questions

  • 41016

    Did the Minister receive any advice or evidence that replacing certification with notification for aerial application by agricultural drones would present no greater environmental risk than agrichemical application using tractors or combine harvesters?

  • 41017

    Which agencies with responsibility for environmental protection, conservation, waterways, and agrichemicals, if any, were consulted on the environmental consequences of replacing certification with notification for agricultural drone operations, and what was the substance of any feedback from these agencies?

  • 41020

    What reports, briefings, aide-memoires, or other written advice, if any, did the Minister receive before 20 August 2026 regarding the environmental effects of replacing Part 102 certification with a notification-only pathway for agricultural drone operations, listed by title and date?

Answered by

Hon James Meager

Member for Rangitata · National Party · Associate Minister of Transport

Answer

The Ministry of Transport consulted with the Ministry for Primary Industries, the Ministry for the Environment, the Department of Conservation, and the Environmental Protection Authority in June 2026. These agencies noted that spray drift is a key environmental risk associated with aerial application of agrichemicals by crewed and uncrewed aircraft (including drones) and that this risk would need to be managed appropriately.