Auckland Council to vote on bylaw targeting drones

Wednesday, 27 March 2019

Auckland Councillors will vote on Thursday on whether to include drones and rules around their use in a bylaw that aims to minimise safety risks to people in public places.

Proposed changes to the Public Safety and Nuisance bylaw would include a code of conduct on the use of drones in council-controlled public places with details on where and how they can be flown.

Regulatory Committee chairwoman Linda Cooper said the proposed changes were important to ensuring people's privacy in public spaces.

'Drones are becoming much more commonly used by members of the public. We won't have any control of their use over private property, but we can set regulations for the public area,' she said.

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'We want to give the public guidelines for the use of drones. We hope that people will be mindful of people's privacy over private spaces and just be considerate in their use in public places.'

The code of conduct will specify where and when drones can be flown in public places and outline night and altitude restrictions.

A two-month public consultation period in 2018 revealed widespread support for changing the bylaw. Of 1688 feedback responses, 87 per cent were supportive of the proposal. Only 8 per cent opposed it. Key concerns raised were around safety and privacy.

Councillor Mike Lee said the regulations would ensure protection for the safety and privacy of the public.

“I think it’s a sensible recognition that drones are now very much part of the world we live in and we need to ensure protection for privacy and of course for safety,” he said.

A panel was appointed by the council to deliberate and make recommendations based on information gathered through the public consultation.

The panel recommended the council approve the proposed changes to the bylaw as it is 'the most appropriate way to protect people from nuisance or unsafe behaviours and activities in public places'.

The council cannot make a total ban on drones in public places as it would be contrary to Government legislation that allows their use. It also has no authority to regulate drones over private property.

The proposed changes will be put to vote on Thursday at the council's Governing Body meeting.