Northpower drones to survey Whangārei and Kaipara power lines, privacy flagged

Northpower will be using drones to do aerial surveys of its Whangārei and Kaipara power lines, starting next month.

Electricity company Northpower plans to survey its powerline network in Whangārei and Kaipara using drones.

The aerial surveys will take place in February and March.

Northpower emphasised the drones will focus only on the network’s equipment and nearby vegetation, not private homes or individuals.

The Privacy Commissioner said any public agencies using drones need to comply with the Privacy Act when collecting personal information via drone recordings or observations.

Northpower told its customers in an email that the data collected is handled securely within the company and used only for the inspection and maintenance of its assets.

“We don’t take video footage, and we don’t use this imagery for any other purpose.”

Northpower said all work is carried out in line with the Privacy Act 2020 and Civil Aviation Rules.

A Privacy Commissioner spokesperson said personal information being collected, shared or used should only be done in a way that has a clear, legal purpose and is proportionate.

“Anyone who wishes to make a complaint about their image or other personal information being collected by Northpower using drones or how it is then used or shared by Northpower can contact us,” the spokesperson said.

Complainants first needed to know the drone was operated by Northpower and needed to have tried to resolve the matter with the company first.

“If they are unable to achieve a resolution, then we may be able to investigate if the complaint has breached the Privacy Act,” the spokesperson said.

“Under the Privacy Act, whether it’s an agency or personal use of drones, the Privacy Commissioner has to be able to see that the issue meets a high threshold of actual or likely harm, and has caused either specific damage, adverse impact on rights, loss of benefit or significant emotional harm.”

Northpower owns and operates the electricity and fibre network that distributes electricity and fibre across Whangārei and Kaipara.

“Conducting these aerial surveys of electricity and fibre lines, poles and vegetation close to them helps us identify risks and plan maintenance efficiently, and to identify and fix issues before they cause outages,” the company said.

Northpower said in some cases, drone operators might need to access a property to complete the inspection safely.

If that’s required, Northpower will contact affected people beforehand to arrange a suitable time.

The company said the drone would operate at a safe altitude and it produced a soft buzzing sound, which is not known to disturb animals.

Photography will only take place over the aerial lines.

Northpower has more than 63,000 electricity connections in the two districts and almost 26,000 fibre connections. Its network includes more than 6600km of power lines.