The Ultimate Guide to Drones
A curated Kiwi edition of TechDay news, analysis, interviews, reviews, job moves, and related resources for Drones.
What to know about Drones
Drones represent a rapidly evolving technology sector with applications across diverse fields such as forestry management, parcel delivery, agriculture, conservation, and public safety. Innovations include drones capable of beyond-line-of-sight operation, autonomous flights for surveillance, and sophisticated imaging for industrial and environmental use.
Exploring the latest stories and developments in drone technology offers insights into how they are transforming industries, enhancing efficiency, and contributing to environmental and humanitarian efforts. Readers can learn about the integration of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and advanced imaging in drones, as well as regulatory and safety considerations vital to their expanding use.
Whether interested in cutting-edge drone designs, applications in commercial and medical contexts, or the future possibilities such as drone swarms, urban air mobility, and AI-enabled operations, this index provides a comprehensive overview of what drones mean today and where they are headed.
Kiwi Drones News
Regional stories with direct local relevance
Deloitte warns NZ firms to redesign work for AI era
Deloitte says NZ firms must redesign jobs and systems for the AI era as robotics, cyber risk and labour shortages reshape work.
Microsoft says NZ contribution hits NZ$9.4bn in FY25
Local firms and agencies are using Microsoft’s AI and cloud tools to lift productivity, as the company’s NZ impact reaches NZ$9.4 billion in FY25.
TEKEVER & EPE join forces on NZ autonomous systems
New Zealand defence and security buyers could get faster access to uncrewed aircraft and intelligence tools through the new partnership.
Deloitte forecasts AI, data centres & media shifts by 2026
Deloitte predicts agentic AI boom, surging data centre and sovereign compute spend, and fast-shifting media habits by 2026.
AI & data sharing unite NZ power firms to boost grid resilience
Four major New Zealand power firms unite with Google X's Tapestry project to use AI for smarter grid inspections, boosting resilience for 510,000 customers.
Police drone data risks ending up on servers Chinese government can access - reports
Police drones used in trials are at risk of data ending up in Chinese cloud servers, but benefits outweigh risks, reports say.
Analyst Insights
Research and market analysis connected to Drones
Global handheld smart camera shipments jump 83% in 2025
Gartner warns misconfigured AI could halt G20 power
Forrester maps ten edge & IoT trends set to shape 2025
China & aerospace lift high-end global 3D printing
Earth intelligence market to surpass USD $4.2 billion by 2030
Recent Drones News
Air NZ recruits drones for aircraft maintenance checks
Air New Zealand will now use drones to inspect its aircraft fleet as they undergo heavy maintenance checks in Singapore.
PhD student's wildlife-monitoring drone wins award
A Massey University PhD student's innovative drone for monitoring New Zealand's endangered yellow-eyed penguins has won the Innovate 2018 competition.
Commercial drones will only take off if safety is paramount
New Zealand's commercial drone services could be ready within the next two years, but only if enough research is done to make certain that the public is safe.
The Kiwi company driving commercial drone tech growth
Dotterel Technologies, a New Zealand drone technology company, has raised NZ$1.06m in a capital raising round led by Jelix Ventures, and has partnered with MIT.
NZTech's top three tech trends impacting the wellbeing of Kiwis
CEO Graeme Muller says these major tech developments will significantly impact lives of New Zealanders for the better.
Xero, Parrot Analytics named winners in Deloitte's regional Fast 50
Xero and Parrot Analytics have emerged as regional victors at Deloitte's Fast 50 awards, exemplifying NZ's diverse business growth.
Conservation innovation winner DroneCounts takes wildlife tracking to the next level
DroneCounts' innovative GPS tracking revolutionises conservation efforts, winning the WWF NZ accolade for tackling species decline.
New invention turns miaows into speech
Revolutionary 'Catterbox' device to translate your cat's miaows into speech, enhancing human-feline communication.
Kiwi drone start-up takes out innovation award
Dotteral's creative solution to reducing UAV noise earned them a place at the Callaghan Innovation New Zealand pavilion at the NAB Show.
Kiwi surveying firm using drone technology
K-N Surveyors revolutionizes project data collection using innovative Aeronavics drone technology, enhancing safety and efficiency.
Hands-on Review: Kaiser Baas Alpha Drone
I really enjoyed the Alpha Drone, it's definitely not a toy and is really bringing serious drones into a mainstream price point.
Fieldays Innovation Accelerator showcases Kiwi tech
The Fieldays Innovation Accelerator is a new initiative sponsored by Callaghan Innovation and aims to help Kiwi innovators rise to the global stage.
NZ could reap $190M/year benefit becoming first nation to allow beyond-line-of-sight drones
Allowing drones to operate beyond the operator's line of sight could provide economic gains of up to $190 million a year to New Zealand's.
Million dollar Kiwi crowdfunding project makes history
Aeronavics' kiwi-made drones soar as they clinch a record-breaking £1m via equity crowdfunding, the largest in NZ's history.
Airport security urged to speed up perimeter response
Breaches in Canada and Australia are exposing a wider airport security gap, as trespassers can still reach aircraft before responders arrive.
Teledyne FLIR certifies Emesent Hovermap for CBRN use
Hazard teams can now pair 3D mapping with radiation readings on Teledyne FLIR robots and drones for GPS-denied CBRN missions.
DroneShield & Terma agree counter-drone collaboration
Rising demand for layered anti-drone defences could open new defence contracts as DroneShield and Terma test joint systems in key regions.
Operator XR launches portable VR counter-drone training
The portable system lets military and police teams rehearse drone threats offline in minutes, without fixed sites or extra logistics.
DroneShield adds threat ranking in Q2 software update
Operators can now rank drones by threat level as DroneShield’s latest software update aims to cut clutter and speed decisions in crowded airspace.
R2 Wireless expands ODIN partner network across defence
A wider mix of drones, ground vehicles and command software can now share passive RF sensing data as R2 Wireless broadens ODIN's defence reach.