A new era of drug and alcohol oversight in New Zealand’s aviation sector is now in place, aligning one of the country’s most safety-critical industries with international best practice.

Group 1 operators such as Air New Zealand and Barrier Air were required to submit their first formal Drug and Alcohol Management Plans (DAMPs) by September 30, following the Civil Aviation Act’s passing in 2023.

The move shifts the industry away from blanket health and safety obligations to aviation-specific, regulator-approved systems.

“Every workplace in New Zealand falls under the Health and Safety at Work Act. And that’s good but very generic legislation for all workplaces,” Glenn Dobson, chief executive of The Drug Detection Agency (TDDA), told the Herald.

“What CAA have done with this is ... made the requirements more specific to the industry, which I think is a good thing.”

The Drug Detection Agency (TDDA) chief executive Glenn Dobson.

“[The CAA have] followed a little bit of international best practice. DAMPs are not an unusual thing in aviation industries around the world.”

The new rules mean operators must file not only workplace testing plans, but also a “response plan” for what happens when problems arise.

Furthermore, operators are required to keep the regulator updated with developments in the implementation of their plans.

“If there is a refusal or an attempt to cheat a test that indicates drugs, then the operator has to report that to CAA – I think the term they use is as soon as practicable,“ Dobson said.

“But there’s also quarterly reporting as well. That’s each operator has to report to the CAA quarterly in relation to how many tests they’ve done, the safety-sensitive roles that those tests cover.”

The CAA told the Herald that it will rely on “a range of education, engagement, monitoring, and auditing activities to ensure that participants effectively implement aviation safety requirements”.

When asked what would happen if operators failed to submit plans or fell short of the required standard, the CAA said there was a range of actions it would consider.

But while industry oversight was strengthening, it wouldn’t come with increased transparency.

“The compliance results for individual participants with CAA rules are not made public,” the CAA said, adding it instead shares broader safety insights with the sector.

Dobson, however, believed operators should go further.

“I think they should stand loud and proud and say, ‘Yes, we’re taking it seriously and this is what we’re doing,’ so the public have a degree of confidence around it.

“The CAA will take ... a bit of a watchdog sort of scenario where they’ll make sure that everything has been applied correctly,” Dobson said.

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