Drone incidents up more than 200% around NZ prisons

Official Information Act data released to rova news shows from 2020 to 2025, there had been a 212.5% increase in confirmed drone sightings around New Zealand prisons. 

In total, there were 110 incidents over the five years. 

One drone crashed last year, and prison staff found cannabis, rice papers and a screwdriver head. 

Deputy Commissioner - Men’s Prisons (South) Neil Beales, told rova, technology is proving hard to keep up with. 

He was not surprised that drone incidents were increasing, as access to them had become much easier. 

Beales explained that every sighting was reported to Police as a possible threat, despite some ending up harmless.

“Once we sight a drone and if it's within the perimeter of the prison or over a prison or close by to our fence line, we will work with the local police.”

“Many times they will be completely innocent. It might be some kids playing with a drone in a local area.”

He was aware that drones bringing in contraband into prisons was becoming a big issue, particularly overseas.

“It is a method of introducing contraband in some countries that is used probably more widely than it is in New Zealand,” he said. 

“We're in constant touch with colleagues in other jurisdictions who have experienced this probably to a higher degree than we have.”

When asked whether drones may be dropping items without staff noticing, he said other systems would likely pick it up. 

“We have drug detector dogs… our own intelligence services that operate inside prisons, we've got border controls, searches of vehicles, scanners, X-ray machines. So we have quite an extensive security operation.”

Stopping contraband from coming into prisons was proving difficult sometimes because of changing technology. 

Beales said they have dedicated teams dedicated to electronic security and intel to keep ahead of these developments, but admitted it is a challenge. 

“It would be foolish of me to say that our defensive capabilities and infrastructure capabilities can keep up with the march of technology.”

A warning was then issued to people who were flying them near prisons, regardless of their intentions. 

“We don't want people getting into trouble for doing something they think is innocent and harmless, but anything that we believe is a threat to our board security... we will take the necessary action.”

“For those people who are intent on trying to bring contraband into prisons by whatever means... when we detect it, and we find it, we will prosecute, you know, and we will hold people accountable.”