New research shows two out of every 10 recreational drone users have little or no idea about the rules.
Research has found there are almost 300,000 recreational and commercial drone users in New Zealand - an increase of about 30,000 in the past three years. Photo: 123RF
And one out of every 10 commercial users has little understanding of the rules for operating drones.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said that meant one in five flights could be wandering into restricted airspace, increasing the risk of collisions with other aircraft.
CAA acting deputy chief executive for aviation safety, Dean Winter, said what people needed to know first and foremost was that when they were flying a drone, they were a pilot and therefore subject to CAA rules.
The research commissioned by the CAA, Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment aimed to build a better understanding of how drones were being used in New Zealand.
It found there were almost 300,000 recreational and commercial drone users in New Zealand - an increase of about 30,000 in the past three years.
It also found the most common reason for using drones was fun or entertainment - but the number of commercial users also had rapidly increased.
More than 15,000 drones were used for business or scientific purposes, with 44 percent of businesses currently using a drone, or planning to use one.
Most of the recreational drones currently used in New Zealand were "mainly small, cheap ones" - or aircraft costing less than $250.
The information, media and telecommunications industries were the biggest users of industrial drones, followed by the electricity, gas and water industries, and then the public administration, training and education sector.
Currently, companies with more than 50 employees tended to use drones more than smaller companies, but that was expected to reverse significantly in future with companies of up to five employees projected to be the biggest drone users.
Among commercial users, 63 percent had not done any training in operating a drone.
Winter said the research results presented some surprises, including the increase in drone users and the evident number that flew into restricted airspace without knowing it.
"That's a concern," he said.
The findings prompted the launch of a new drone safety campaign.
Winter said people needed to understand that rather than their freedoms being hindered, the rules existed to keep people safe.
"This is about safety for people on the ground, for other aircraft and for the actual (drone) users."
Drone operators could be served with an infringement and fined if they flew over people or private property without permission. It was against the rules to fly a drone within four kilometres of an aerodrome, at a height of more than 120 metres, or to lose sight of it.
"Make sure you keep your drone in sight, at all times."