Written questions

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

Question

How many reported unauthorised occurrences involving unmanned aircraft used for agricultural purposes have been recorded by the Civil Aviation Authority in each of the last five financial years, broken down by occurrence type, and how many…

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

Question

What recommendation, if any, did the Ministry for Regulation make as to whether agricultural drone operations should be permitted on the basis of prior notification to the Civil Aviation Authority only, and did that recommendation depart…

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

Question

Further to Reply 38352 (2026), who within the Cabinet Office authored the email titled "comments in article" dated 24 April 2025?

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

Question

Further to Reply 38352 (2026), what is the full text of the email titled "comments in article" dated 24 April 2025?

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

Question

Further to Reply 38352 (2026), which Minister was the subject of the Cabinet Office email?

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

Question

Further to Reply 38352 (2026), what specific Cabinet decision or policy matter was the subject of the Minister's public comments?

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

Question

Further to Reply 38352 (2026), on what date did the Minister's public statement occur, and in what publication or forum did it appear?

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

Question

Further to Reply 38352 (2026), which Cabinet Manual provisions were cited in the Cabinet Office email as potentially breached by the Minister's statement?

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

Question

Further to Reply 38352 (2026), what response did the Prime Minister or Prime Minister's Chief of Staff send to the Cabinet Office email?

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

Question

Further to Reply 38352 (2026), has the Prime Minister imposed any disciplinary consequences, ministerial reprimand, or other sanction on the Minister for the public statement?

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

Question

Further to Reply 38352 (2026), how did the Cabinet Office become aware of the Minister's public statement?

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

Question

Further to Reply 38352 (2026), does the Prime Minister consider that ministers commenting publicly about forthcoming Cabinet decisions undermines the integrity of the Cabinet decision-making process?

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

Question

Further to Reply 38352 (2026), how does the Prime Minister's office define a "forthcoming Cabinet decision" for the purposes of Cabinet Manual compliance?

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

Question

What reports, briefings, aide-mémoire or other written advice concerning regulatory options for agricultural drone operations did he receive between 1 April 2025 and 20 August 2026 from the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry for Cities,…

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

Question

What written advice, if any, has he received identifying safety risks arising from permitting agricultural drone operations on the basis of prior notification to the Civil Aviation Authority, as announced in his statement of 20 August 2026…

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

Question

What written advice, if any, has he received from the Director of Civil Aviation regarding the agricultural drone regulatory changes announced on 20 August 2026, on what date was it received, and did that advice support the approach…

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

Question

When, and on the basis of what advice, if any, was a notification pathway for agricultural drone operations adopted in place of broader reform of Civil Aviation Rule Part 137, which the Ministry for Regulation's aide-mémoire MFR2026-026 of…

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

Question

What regulatory options for agricultural drone operations other than a notification pathway were assessed by officials, if any, including targeted changes to Civil Aviation Rule Parts 101 and 102 thresholds, a class exemption under…

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

Question

What cost-benefit analysis of enabling agricultural drone use, if any, has been commissioned or completed since the Ministry for Regulation's aide-mémoire MFR2026-026 of 10 February 2026 advised that such an analysis was feasible, by whom…

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

Question

What papers, if any, has Cabinet or any Cabinet committee considered relating to the regulation of agricultural drone operations, what is the title and date of each, and what is the reference number of any resulting minute?

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

Question

Which Ministers agreed to the agricultural drone regulatory changes announced on 20 August 2026, on what date, and under what authority, if those changes were not the subject of a Cabinet or Cabinet committee decision?

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

Question

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…

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

Question

What matters is the Technical Advisory Group for the agricultural drone project under the Civil Aviation Rules Update Programme asked to provide advice on, and what matters relating to the regulation of agricultural drone operations is it…

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

Question

When was the Technical Advisory Group for the agricultural drone project under the Civil Aviation Rules Update Programme established, by whom, who are its members, and what are its terms of reference?

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

Question

What meetings or consultations regarding regulatory options for agricultural drone operations, if any, took place between him, his officials, or the Civil Aviation Authority and each of the following before 20 August 2026, and on what…

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

Question

When were the Aviation Industry Association's concerns regarding the agricultural drone regulatory changes announced on 20 August 2026, including that agricultural drone operation is "not a low-risk activity that lends itself to hasty…

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

Question

What meeting regarding agricultural drone regulation, if any, took place between him and the Agricultural Drone Association in the two weeks before 20 August 2026, on what date, who attended, and what record or aide-mémoire was prepared,…

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

Question

What risk assessment, if any, has been undertaken of agricultural drone operations conducted without a Civil Aviation Rule Part 102 certificate, including of conflict with crewed aircraft operating at low level such as agricultural…

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

Question

What advice, if any, has he received comparing the risks of agricultural drone operations with the risks of ground-based agrichemical application by tractor or other farm machinery, and what does that advice say, if anything, about risks…

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

Question

What evidence, if any, has he received that persons holding no aviation certificate or licence possess the knowledge and competency required for aerial agrichemical application, aircraft systems, airspace, meteorology, flight planning and…

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

Question

What assessment, if any, has been undertaken of the aviation knowledge and operational competency needed to conduct agricultural drone operations safely, what qualification, training or demonstrated competency will operators be required to…

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

Question

What is the source of his statement of 20 August 2026 that certification for lower-risk routine drone operations "can take up to nine months and cost thousands of dollars", and what were the median and longest processing times, and the…

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

Question

What maximum mass will apply to drones operating under the notification pathway for agricultural drone operations announced on 20 August 2026, what operations will be permitted beyond visual line of sight, at night, in controlled airspace,…

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

Question

What quantified estimate, if any, does he hold of the economic or productivity benefits of the agricultural drone regulatory changes announced on 20 August 2026, and what is the source, author and date of that estimate?

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

Question

What quantified estimate, if any, does he hold of the costs of the agricultural drone regulatory changes announced on 20 August 2026, including the cost to the Civil Aviation Authority of receiving and monitoring notifications,…

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

Question

What advice, if any, has he received on whether the notification pathway for agricultural drone operations announced on 20 August 2026 is consistent with New Zealand's obligations under international civil aviation conventions, as referred…

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

Question

What advice, if any, has he received on the interaction between the notification pathway for agricultural drone operations announced on 20 August 2026 and the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996, the Agricultural Compounds and…

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

Question

What advice has the Ministry for Regulation provided to Ministers on the regulation of agricultural drone operations, listed by title, date and tracking number, including aide-mémoire MFR2025-288 and aide-mémoire MFR2026-026?

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

Question

Which aviation organisations, if any, as distinct from farming, horticultural and forestry organisations, did the Ministry for Regulation consult in the course of its work on the regulation of agricultural drone operations, and on what…

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

Question

What consultation, if any, did the Ministry for Regulation undertake with the Civil Aviation Authority and the Director of Civil Aviation in the course of its work on the regulation of agricultural drone operations, and on what dates did…

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

Question

What advice, if any, does the Ministry for Regulation hold on the requirements applying in Australia to agricultural drones between 25 and 150 kilograms, including any operator certificate, remote pilot licence, registration or…

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

Question

What quantified estimate of economic benefit from enabling agricultural drone use does the Ministry for Regulation hold to set against the Civil Aviation Rule Part 102 compliance costs of $180,000 to $240,000 sector-wide annually estimated…

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

Question

What evidence, other than the media report citing the NZ Agricultural Drone Association relied on in its aide-mémoire MFR2026-026 of 10 February 2026, does the Ministry for Regulation hold on the number, mass and operating profile of…

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

Question

What papers, if any, did the Minister take to Cabinet during the week beginning 7 September 2026, by title and date?

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

Question

What papers, if any, did the Minister take to Cabinet during the week beginning 7 September 2026, by title and date?

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

Question

What papers, if any, did the Minister take to Cabinet during the week beginning 7 September 2026, by title and date?

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

Question

What papers, if any, did the Minister take to Cabinet during the week beginning 7 September 2026, by title and date?

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

Question

What papers, if any, did the Minister take to Cabinet during the week beginning 7 September 2026, by title and date?

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

Question

What papers, if any, did the Minister take to Cabinet during the week beginning 7 September 2026, by title and date?

Asked by

Tangi Utikere

Member for Palmerston North · Labour Party

Question

What aides-mémoire, briefings, memos, notes, reports, or any other advice, if any, has the Minister or their Office received during the week beginning 7 September 2026, listed by agency, title and date received?