Drones and remotely piloted aircraft permission request

Before you begin:

  • Check whether you need permission.
  • If you are applying to operate a remotely piloted aircraft (RPAS) during an event on Council-owned property, please ensure your application is lodged at least 10 working days prior to the event.
  • If applying to operate a remotely piloted aircraft (RPAS) to film this is included in your film permit application.
  • If you have already applied for a flight but circumstances meant you couldn’t fly on the scheduled day, contact RPAS@ccc.govt.nz to check if another day is suitable.





Details of planned RPAS flying activity


Council may charge a fee for commercial photography in Council parks and reserves.

Please provide specific information about the reason for your flight, e.g. filming a TV show, event, or engineer works and why you want to fly over Council property



15kg to 25kg: Final approval will be granted once evidence of Model Flying Club approval has been provided. Please upload this if you already have it


(contact rpas@ccc.govt.nz if you need to change the date)


If alternative days are required please advise up to three days for your flight




Type of property you wish to fly over




Council parks / reserves

Please be as specific as possible about the area you wish to fly over, including landmarks, nearest streets, etc. This information will help the Council to advise of conflicting activities or whether further approvals are required e.g. sportsgrounds that are leased to clubs


Note: It is your responsibility to provide signage when flying over Council property that is normally accessed by the public.


Council roads



If your intended flight and associated launch/landing operations will vary the normal operating conditions of the road, a Temporary Traffic Management Plan (TMP) may be required. A TMP is a written document detailing how you intend to manage traffic such as pedestrians, vehicles and cyclists while work is carried out on, or affecting, a legal road (property boundary to property boundary, including footpaths and berms). If a TMP is required, it must comply with the NZTA Code of Practice for Temporary Traffic Management (COPTTM), and approval is required from the Christchurch Traffic Operations Centre (CTOC) at least 5 working days before work starts. Complex TMPs may take up to 15 working days to be processed. There is no charge for processing these plans. Refer to www.tmpforchch.co.nz and www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/code-temp-traffic-management/copttm.html for further details).


Note: It is your responsibility to provide signage when flying over Council property that is normally accessed by the public.
Council buildings



(if your intended flight (and associated launch/landing operations) will vary the normal operating conditions of the road, a Temporary Traffic Management Plan (TMP) may be required. A TMP is a written document detailing how you intend to manage traffic such as pedestrians, vehicles and cyclists while work is carried out on, or affecting, a legal road (property boundary to property boundary, including footpaths and berms). If a TMP is required, it must comply with the NZTA Code of Practice for Temporary Traffic Management (COPTTM), and approval is required from the Christchurch Traffic Operations Centre (CTOC) at least 5 working days before work starts. Complex TMPs may take up to 15 working days to be processed. There is no charge for processing these plans. Refer to www.tmpforchch.co.nz and www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/code-temp-traffic-management/copttm.html for further details).


Note: It is your responsibility to provide signage when flying over Council property that is normally accessed by the public.