New Zealand Agricultural Aviation Association chairman Graeme Martin spoke at the Aviation Industry Association's annual conference in Dunedin yesterday about improved safety practices.
He asked about 100 delegates whether they thought the industry was safe and what made it high risk.
Mr Martin said the industry's safety ''culture'' was changing for the better.
''A few years ago, we could not say with conviction that this industry was safe, as the incident record showed otherwise. Since then, we have seen some major changes, from management to the coal face.''
He said safety was the single most important element in any aviation operation.
Those in the industry were responsible for keeping themselves and others safe, Mr Martin said.
''We all know what the costs of accidents are. Loss of assets, loss of staff in some cases, loss of revenue, increased costs of insurance and compliance.
''In some cases, we know accidents and incidents occurred because of a deviation from safety standards expected, and pushing the boundaries beyond the capabilities of aircraft or our own abilities.''
Much of the five-day conference at the Dunedin Town Hall was geared towards safety.
Mr Martin encouraged delegates to ask themselves how safety could be improved and to share their experiences with others in order to learn.
A session tomorrow morning will focus on past incidents, specifically for that purpose.
''The session is designed to be interactive, not to judge or comment on, but to pull up valuable lessons from our own experiences and consider how we can continue to move forward in a safe manner,'' Mr Martin said.
The conference also included aviation trade stalls, sessions about various aspects of the aviation industry, annual general meetings, award presentations and an aviation careers expo.
