Parks in the Western Bay of Plenty have been cleared for drone flying by the district council, in a move in response to requests from the drone flying public.

Under Civil Aviation rules announced in August, the property owner's permission is required for any land over which a drone is operated.

Drones can now fly in Western Bay parks. Photo: File.

The council permission requires drone operators to obey all Civil Aviation rules and ensure that drones do not cause annoyance, hazard or inconvenience to other users of council's reserves.

Council Reserves and Facilities Manager Peter Watson says the most important consideration for drone operators is to take a common sense approach and to comply with CAA regulations – including gaining the permission of landowners and the consent of any person they may fly over.

'Another key component of the CAA regulations relates to the exclusion zones and controlled airspace that apply in the district,” says Peter.

Exclusion zones apply within 4km of any aerodrome. There is only one exclusion zone in the Western Bay around the Waihi Beach airfield.

In Tauranga City, there are exclusion zones within 4km of Tauranga Airport and Tauranga Hospital.

The controlled airspace for Tauranga Airport flightpath also extends over a large part of the Western Bay, including Omokoroa, Te Puna and some of Papamoa.

'Some flying can occur in exclusion zones and controlled airspace if the operator has obtained the appropriate permissions from the Tauranga Airport control tower,” says Peter.

Councillors made the decision to allow flying in some parks because of increasing requests and queries from residents wanting to know what rules or restrictions are in place for flying drones in the district.

Drones – or Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems – can be fitted with cameras and are a popular choice for filming landscapes, wildlife, cities and towns, concerts and events, extreme sports, private properties and promotional footage.

In New Zealand, Civil Aviation receives around 40 enquiries a week from people working with drones and there are about 60 commercial operators and 12 companies developing the technology for industrial use.

The nine parks and reserves in the Western Bay considered the most suitable for the operation of drones are:

South End Reserve, Bowentown; Moore Park, Katikati; Tetley Road Landing Reserve, Katikati; Western Ave Sports Ground, Omokoroa; Maramatanga Park, Te Puna; Centennial Park, Te Puke; Lawrence Oliver Park, Te Puke; Paengaroa Domain; Midway Park, Pukehina.

Council will be reviewing its Reserves and Facilities Bylaw and may reconsider its approach in the revised Bylaw, intended to be adopted in 2017.