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Country

New Zealand

New Zealand has full freedom of panorama; the main catches are conservation-land permits and per-person drone consent.

Verified Jun 28, 2026 2 official sources
Permit: conditionalPanorama: Full

Guidance, not legal advice

Rules change and enforcement varies. Confirm with the issuing authority before you shoot. Drone law depth lives at Drone Authority.

Permit

Conditional

Issuer: Department of Conservation (DOC) for commercial shoots on public conservation land; no permit for personal street photography

Cost: No permit for personal photography; commercial shoots in parks and reserves need a DOC concession

Personal photography in public needs no permit. Commercial filming and photography on conservation land and in national parks needs a DOC concession, and iwi consultation may apply at culturally sensitive sites.

Drone / airspace

Under CAA Part 101, keep under 120m within visual line of sight and get consent from people and property owners

Conservation-land drone use needs a separate DOC application. For depth, see Drone Authority.

Street / public space

Yes: photographing people in public is generally lawful and usually publishable

Limits include the intimate-recording offence, harassment law, and the Harmful Digital Communications Act.

Freedom of panorama

Full

Section 73 of the Copyright Act 1994 lets you photograph, film, and sell images of buildings and of sculptures, models for buildings, and works of artistic craftsmanship permanently in a public place, including commercially.

Practical notes

  • For any commercial shoot in a national park or on conservation land, apply for a DOC concession in advance.
  • Drone consent is per person and per property, so shooting crowded beaches or streets lawfully under Part 101 is impractical without consent; respect Maori cultural sites.

Sources

Keep shooting

Knowing the rules is half the job. The craft side:

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