The pathway
Five steps, usually in this order. If you're starting your own spray operation, plan on the best part of a year, mostly waiting for your operator certificate.[1]
First, pick your route
The CAA issues the Part 102 operator certificate to an organisation or sole trader, not to a pilot.[2] So you have two options.
You apply for your own Part 102 operator certificate. That means writing an exposition that covers your people, aircraft, hazards, procedures for dropping items, and any other approvals the job needs.[3] You also pay the CAA's hourly charges.[4]
Do this first. It's expected to take 8 to 10 months from submission to grant.[5]
You work for an organisation that already holds a current Part 102 operator certificate approved for agricultural operations, and you're formally inducted under its exposition.[2] You still need the pilot qualifications in steps 2 to 5.
There's no certificate of your own to wait for, so you can start on the pilot qualifications straight away.
Interactive
Spraying, spreading and toxic-bait drops can only be done under a Part 102 Unmanned Aircraft Operator Certificate (UAOC). The CAA issues it to an organisation or a sole trader, not to a pilot.[2] You either apply for your own, which means writing an exposition (your operating manual), or you fly for an operator whose certificate is already approved for agricultural work and get inducted onto it.[2][3]
Starting your own operation? Do this step first. It's expected to take 8 to 10 months from submission to grant.[5]
The CAA accepts a drone pilot qualification from a Part 141 certificated training organisation, trained to the Part 102 standard, as evidence that a pilot is appropriately trained.[2] On its own it doesn't let you fly outside Part 101: that permission belongs to the operator you're inducted under.[7]
DroneTrust's course is online theory, which most people finish over a few weeks, followed by a practical flight assessment.[5]
The CAA's guidance says pilots must hold a Pilot Chemical Rating before they apply agrichemicals. It's a theory qualification covering calibration, drift, nozzles, weather, NZS 8409, regulation, hazardous substances and first aid, and it's valid for five years.[2]
DroneTrust's course runs entirely online: ten modules and a final exam (80% pass mark), about 14 to 18 hours in total.[8] More on the chemical rating.
An OCA checks that you can fly your operator's larger agricultural drone safely and that you know the procedures in the exposition you fly under. After it you can practise with the ag drone, but you can't apply chemicals until you hold an Agricultural Rating.[5]
The CAA's guidance also requires an annual Agricultural OCA through a Part 141 organisation to stay current.[2]
The CAA's guidance says pilots must also hold a UA Agricultural Rating before they can lawfully dispense agrichemicals from a drone. It includes theory, a practical assessment, instructor-supervised flights and a flight test, and each discipline (spraying, topdressing, toxic baits) needs its own rating. Only Part 141 organisations the CAA has specifically approved can deliver it.[2]
DroneTrust runs it under Part 141 certificate TR104722: two days with an instructor, then supervised flights over time.[1]
Aerial spraying, topdressing and toxic-bait application are banned under Part 101, whatever the size of the drone.[9][10] Anyone operating outside Part 101 needs a Part 102 Unmanned Aircraft Operator Certificate.[3] The CAA's agrichemical guidance says organisations doing these operations must hold one.[2]
If you apply for your own, your exposition has to address, among other things: the person responsible, a hazard register, pilot and crew qualifications and training, your aircraft and its maintenance, in-flight procedures including distances from people and property, procedures for dropping items, and any other approvals the operation needs.[3] A certificate lasts up to five years.[3]
The CAA charges $312.40 an hour including GST. A first Part 102 application needs 2 hours ($624.80) paid up front, and further inspector time is charged by the hour.[4][6][11] The CAA doesn't publish a fixed processing time.[11] DroneTrust offers an exposition writing service for agricultural operators at $3,500 + GST.[12]
The CAA accepts a drone pilot qualification from a Part 141 certificated training organisation, trained to the Part 102 standard, as evidence that a pilot is appropriately trained.[2] DroneTrust's Part 102 Drone Pilot Certificate ($1,295 + GST) covers the Part 101 and Part 102 theory online and finishes with a practical flight test.[7]
The CAA's guidance says pilots must hold a Pilot Chemical Rating before they can apply agrichemicals. It's theory-based, covers topics from calibration and drift to hazardous substances and first aid, and is valid for five years.[2] DroneTrust's online Chemical Rating course ($4,000 + GST) has ten modules and a final exam, and takes about 14 to 18 hours.[8] Read our chemical rating guide.
The OCA shows an examiner that you can fly a larger agricultural drone safely and that you understand the standard operating procedures on the certificate you'll fly under. After it you can practise with the ag drone, but you can't apply chemicals until you've completed the Agricultural Rating.[5] DroneTrust's OCA is $629 + GST.[13]
The CAA's guidance says pilots must also hold a UA Agricultural Rating before they can lawfully dispense agrichemicals from a drone. Spraying, topdressing and toxic baits each need a separate rating. Toxic bait work has extra requirements. Talk to DroneTrust before you start. The training includes theory, a practical assessment, instructor-supervised flights and a flight test, and only Part 141 organisations the CAA has specifically approved can deliver it. You stay current with an annual Agricultural OCA.[2] DroneTrust's Agricultural Rating is two days with an instructor plus supervised flights, at $4,000 + GST, plus examiner travel.[1][5]
Already a manned ag pilot? If you hold a Part 61 agricultural rating (Grade 1 or 2), the CAA's guidance sets out a shorter route: a drone pilot qualification, a current Pilot Chemical Rating, then the UA Agricultural Rating flight test.[2]
DroneTrust, our recommended provider, can take you from your first pilot certificate to a fully rated agricultural pilot, or pick you up partway through.
Checked on 28 September 2026. Rules change, so confirm anything important with the agency concerned. This guide is general information, not legal advice.