Flights have been delayed from landing after a drone was sighted in the Auckland Airport airspace.
The Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand (CAA) says a drone was spotted by two pilots on approach to Auckland airport at 2.46pm and was flying at an altitude of approximately 1,200 feet.
It was 3 nautical miles from runway 05 in the direction of Manukau.
CAA Deputy Director of general aviation Steve Moore said he was "hopping mad" over the latest incident.
"Pilots and their passengers should be able to take off and land at our airports without the added risk of a drone coming into contact with their aircraft," he said.
"The idiots who are doing this are putting people's lives at risk and need to be identified before something catastrophic happens.
"The safety of the traveling public cannot be compromised by thoughtless fools flying drones illegally in the airport zones."
Police confirmed they were notified at 2.50pm of the incident and were making inquiries to find the operator.
Senior Sergeant Rachel Dolheguy, response manager Auckland Airport police station, said they immediately dispatched police to search for the drone operators.
During that time flights were delayed from landing at the airport, she said.
"This lasted for approximately 30 minutes," she said.
"No outgoing flights were affected."
Police could not locate the drone operators but inquiries were ongoing, she said.
"We would once again remind drone operators that they must ensure that they are complying with the Civil Aviation Act, failure to do so, particularly in an Airspace could have disastrous consequences.
"You can also be prosecuted for this."
Last month Air New Zealand called for tighter regulations regarding drone use after two near misses with drones.
On one occasion a drone came within meters of a flight descending into Auckland Airport from Tokyo, putting the safety of 278 passengers and crew at risk.
The airline said the drone passed so close that the crew worried it had been sucked into an engine, although a later inspection showed that had not happened.
Under current regulations, drone operators who breach aviation rules can be fined up to 5,000 New Zealand dollars ($3,600).
