UAV Night Rating flying a drone at night in NZ legally with the Drone Night Rating endorsement allows us to fly at night in New Zealand
Cruise ships aerial footage at night in New Zealand with UAV night rating endorsement for CAA 101 & CAA 102 operators flying drone at night

UAV night ops


Why We Fly at Night?

Some of the most interesting moments happen after the sun goes down.

There’s a narrow window at the end of the day when twilight takes over — daylight fades, colours soften, and artificial light starts to shape the scene. For a long time, this was where our flying had to change.

Before We achieved our Drone night operations endorsement, once twilight arrived we were limited to shielded drone operations. That meant keeping the aircraft close to structures or terrain, adjusting angles and movement, and working within constraints simply to keep the flight legal. It worked — but it also shaped what we could and couldn’t capture.

Those limitations became noticeable after twilight.

Working Through the Transition

Twilight doesn’t pause. It moves quickly, and scenes evolve minute by minute. Having to remain shielded during that time often meant breaking continuity — stopping a shot early, repositioning, or missing the moment when light and movement finally aligned.

Rather than working around that boundary, we chose to understand it.

Operating under our UAV Night Rating Endorsement approval means we can now continue flying unshielded as the light drops away — safely, legally, and with the planning that night operations require. That shift doesn’t change how we fly creatively, but it changes how long we can stay with a scene.

What Changes Once Night Sets In

Flying unshielded into night opens up a different way of observing places. Harbours become grids of light. Roads turn into motion. Coastlines flatten into contrast and reflection.

Night operations aren’t about flying more — they’re about flying longer, allowing a scene to move from late afternoon through twilight and into darkness without interruption.

Letting the Story Run

Based in Papamoa Beach, much of our work is coastal. Being able to fly through twilight and into night means the story doesn’t stop when the sun disappears.

It continues — quietly — as light fades, artificial glow takes over, and the environment settles into a different rhythm.

That’s why we fly a drone at night.