Heritage New Zealand is developing a a drone policy for its historic properties after Kerikeri's Stone Store and Kemp House were buzzed twice last month, with the Stone Store hit.
During the first incident the operator of the drone was positioned across the river basin in Landing Rd and within sight of the neighbouring heritage buildings.
The drone crashed into the side of the Stone Store and the battery pack broke away from the machine's housing. It's believed the drone flyer was a "hobbyist".
Later in the month a wedding party began filming outside the Stone Store using a drone and with an official photographer. Heritage New Zealand charges a fee for wedding parties to photograph within its precincts but on this occasion it's thought the photography fee was not paid and the drone operator was believed not to have had permission to film.
Under Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) rules introduced last August, operators of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) or Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), - commonly referred to as drones - are required to have permission from the property owner or person in charge of the area they plan to fly over unless they have an operating certificate which can only be granted by the CAA.