Written questions

Asked by

Lan Pham

List MP · Green Party

Question

Following Reply 39333 (2026), does the Minister consider reducing pollution from South Island farms to be one of the "solutions to fix any water levels that exceed the maximum acceptable value" for nitrate?

Asked by

Lan Pham

List MP · Green Party

Question

Following 39331 (2026), does the Minister for the South Island agree with the comments of the local MP, James Meager, that it was a "scare campaign, drummed up to denigrate LAGMHOR farming families by using fear rather than facts to make…

Asked by

Lan Pham

List MP · Green Party

Question

Following 39331 (2026), does the Minister agree the story about nitrate in the Lagmhor School water supply "denigrate LAGMHOR farming families", and if so, how?

Asked by

Lan Pham

List MP · Green Party

Question

Following 39331 (2026), does the Minister agree with the local MP that the issue of the water supply for Laghmor School exceeding the limit for nitrate in drinking water used "fear rather than facts" and if so, what did he not consider to…

Asked by

Lan Pham

List MP · Green Party

Question

Following Reply 39328 (2026), does the Minister also consider it important to reduce the pollution of drinking water at the source when it exceeds safe drinking levels?

Asked by

Lan Pham

List MP · Green Party

Question

Following 39331 (2026), does the Minister agree that it is a "fact" that the water supply for Lagmhor School exceeded the drinking water limit for nitrate?

Asked by

Lan Pham

List MP · Green Party

Question

Following 39330 (2026), does the Minister consider the pollution of drinking water sources as a result of intensive farming in the South Island is also "not a good thing"?

Asked by

Lan Pham

List MP · Green Party

Question

Following 39327 (2026), who does the Minister consider should fund upgrades to South Island school drinking water supplies to address elevated nitrate levels in their drinking water?

Asked by

Julie Anne Genter

Member for Rongotai · Green Party

Question

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…

Asked by

Julie Anne Genter

Member for Rongotai · Green Party

Question

What environmental impact assessment, if any, compared the safeguards provided through Part 102 certification with those proposed under the notification-only pathway, and what did that assessment conclude?

Asked by

Julie Anne Genter

Member for Rongotai · Green Party

Question

What assessment, if any, was undertaken on whether removing operator-specific certification (UAOC) could increase the risk of agrichemical drift or incorrect application affecting adjoining conservation land, waterways, wetlands, native…

Asked by

Julie Anne Genter

Member for Rongotai · Green Party

Question

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…

Asked by

Julie Anne Genter

Member for Rongotai · Green Party

Question

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…

Asked by

Julie Anne Genter

Member for Rongotai · Green Party

Question

Has the Minister received any official advice or analysis of the environmental impact before concluding that Part 102 certification and pilot licensing could be removed without increasing environmental risk, listed by title and date?

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 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

Jo Luxton

List MP · 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

Dan Rosewarne

List MP · 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

Arena Williams

Member for Manurewa · 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

Jo Luxton

List MP · 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?

Asked by

Dan Rosewarne

List MP · 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?

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?

Asked by

Arena Williams

Member for Manurewa · 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?

Asked by

Mike Davidson

List MP · Green Party

Question

Which specific South Island projects, if any, that demonstrate clear community benefits, are well developed, and align with the Government's priorities for economic growth, infrastructure, resilience and regional development, has the…

Asked by

Lan Pham

List MP · Green Party

Question

How much funding from the Department of Conservation budget appropriation, if any, has been received by the Game Animal Council for management of the sika deer herd of special interest?

Asked by

Lan Pham

List MP · Green Party

Question

Where does the public allocation come from, if there is one, for the Game Animal Council management of the sika herd of special interest?