Customs said it intercepted 13 laser pointers last year, up from 10 the year before, and three the year before that.
Aviation sector agencies weren’t inclined this week to say whether tougher penalties were needed.
“What we do know is that laser strikes pose a safety risk,” a CAA spokesperson said.
“They put the safety of both the pilot and the flight at risk.
“Directing them into an aircraft is a deliberate hazard to a pilot’s vision that has the potential to place people in jeopardy.”
The CAA said it worked with police to investigate reports.
New Zealand’s only air traffic control provider, Airways NZ, is also monitoring the issue.
Jamie Gray, the Airways people and partnerships general manager, said if the agency detected lasers targeting flights, it would alert pilots to the hazard and let them determine the right course of action.
“On becoming aware of laser activity, Airways would inform the police of the report from the pilot and then inform any subsequent aircraft of the potential hazard until we were confident the laser activity has ceased.”
Air New Zealand chief safety and risk officer Nathan McGraw said laser strikes were potentially dangerous to pilots, passengers, and crew.
“In the event of a laser strike, we report the incident to Air Traffic Control and the Civil Aviation Authority teams, who will manage the incident and alert relevant authorities.”
But laser flashers can prove elusive.
In 2021, Hawke’s Bay pilots harassed by a laser beam over Napier decided to circle around an area to pinpoint the laser-wielder’s location.
Labour MP Greg O’Connor is familiar with laser strikes, including from his previous job as Police Association president.
Over the years, he says, laser strikes have targeted aircraft, including the police Eagle helicopter.
“It actually flashes out the whole cabin,” he said.
Still, attempts to change the law have made little progress.
In 2020, former National MP Hamish Walker proposed the High-power Laser Pointer Offences and Penalties Bill.
O’Connor at the time said Walker’s bill would have just doubled existing penalties.
The real issue was ensuring flashers actually believed “they’re going to get caught”, O’Connor said at the time.
The bill did not make it past the first reading.
For anyone with a high-power laser pointer without a reasonable excuse, existing laws impose maximum penalties of three months’ jail or a $2000 fine.
A person convicted may also have to forfeit their laser pointer to the Crown.
But laser flashers can face stiffer penalties.
In 2023, a Māngere man accused of flashing the Eagle was charged with endangering transport, an offence with a maximum 14-year jail term.
The use and possession of lasers above 1 milliwatt is regulated in New Zealand.
The Ministry of Health regards pointers with output less than 1mW as low-risk.
The ministry said anyone bringing a high-power laser pointer into New Zealand must first get a consent to import.
And anybody selling high-power laser pointers online also needs authorisation.
John Weekes is a business journalist covering aviation and courts. He has previously covered consumer affairs, crime, politics and courts.
