Flying a drone in Queenstown: what to know before your shoot

Queenstown is one of the most filmed places in New Zealand, and aerial footage is a big part of why. The lake, the Remarkables and the light do half the work. But you cannot just launch a drone anywhere here, and the reason catches a lot of people out: much of the Wakatipu Basin sits inside the controlled airspace around Queenstown Airport.

This is a plain-English guide for clients booking aerial work, so you know what is involved before the shoot. It is general information, not legal advice, and the rules change, so always check the current requirements with the CAA and Airshare.

Why Queenstown is different

Most places in New Zealand, a drone operator follows the standard rules and flies. Around Queenstown, the airport's controlled airspace covers a large part of the basin, including Frankton and much of the area people most want to film. Flying there needs air traffic control clearance, which is arranged through Airshare, New Zealand's drone portal.

That clearance is not a formality you sort out on the morning. It needs the location, the time, the height and the purpose, and it is planned around the airport's traffic. Build it into your timeline.

The rules that apply everywhere

Under the CAA's Part 101 rules, which cover most drone flying in New Zealand, an operator must:

• Keep the drone below 120 metres above ground level.
• Keep it within visual line of sight, and fly in daylight.
• Not fly within 4 kilometres of an aerodrome without the right agreement or clearance.
• Get consent from people before flying above them.
• Get consent from property owners or occupiers before flying above their property.

Public conservation land managed by DOC needs its own permission as well. That matters around Glenorchy and the national parks, which are some of the most requested locations.

What we handle for you

When you book drone videography with us, we do the flight planning, the risk assessment, the Airshare request and ATC clearance, and the landowner consent. You do not need to deal with any of it. What helps us most is:

• The exact location, as a pin, not just "somewhere near Arrowtown".
• Your date and time window, and how flexible it is.
• Whether people will be underneath, such as guests at a wedding or crowds at an event.
• Who owns the land you want to film over, if you know.

Plan for the weather

Central Otago changes hour to hour. Wind at altitude can ground a drone on a day that feels calm on the ground, and the light that makes a hero shot can arrive and leave in twenty minutes. The best aerial shoots here have a weather window rather than a single slot. Most of ours run 1 to 3 hours, with graded footage and stills delivered in about 5 business days.

Planning something from above? Tell us the location and date, or read how we combine aerial and ground coverage on our drone page.