We work to make sure everyone involved in New Zealand aviation meets the legal standards set by the Minister of Transport.
There are two parts to our organisation:
CAA public brochure: Promoting aviation safety and security (January 2018) [PDF 235 KB]
Every participant in New Zealand’s aviation community shares a responsibility for safety and security.
New Zealand’s civil aviation community includes licensed pilots, engineers, and air traffic controllers, as well as aviation operators like airlines, aerodromes, flying schools, and aircraft maintenance organisations. The safety and security standards they all adhere to are set by the Minister of Transport, after consultation with the aviation community.
New Zealand’s security regulation responsibilities are exercised by the CAA’s Security Regulation Unit. This unit also certifies and audits the operational delivery of aviation security services that are put in place by the Aviation Security Service (AvSec).
AvSec's vision is to deliver world class aviation security and a high quality, responsive, passenger experience. To do this, we work closely with other border and government agencies, including the NZ Police, NZ Customs Service, Ministry of Primary Industries, Immigration NZ, Ministry of Transport, airport companies and industry associations, as well as international organisations like the Airports Council International (ACI), International Air Transport Association (IATA) and International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
Read about our role in aviation safety
Learn more about our role in aviation security
Aviation security legislative framework
CAA public brochure: Promoting aviation safety and security (January 2018) [PDF 235 KB]
The CAA is committed to enhancing aviation safety and security through thorough and impartial investigations. Our primary investigation purpose is to gather unbiased, comprehensive facts that will inform regulatory decisions and support actions to improve aviation safety.
Our triage function is managed by our Triage, Assessment and Coordination team in our Regulatory Response and Enablement group. It is responsible for receiving and processing all information that is formally reported to the CAA.
The Civil Aviation Authority’s Ways of Working is a document that sets out how we are evolving to meet the needs of a modern aviation system. It outlines how we plan to embed intelligence-led, risk-based decision-making, improve leadership and culture, and strengthen our regulatory performance across the organisation. We are committed to aviation safety and security, and our new ways of working will ensure we meet our mission and also support innovation, economic growth, and social connectivity for Aotearoa New Zealand.
CAA Ways of Working [PDF 425 KB]
The Civil Aviation Act 2023 came into effect on 5 April 2025. To learn about what this meant, see:
Civil Aviation Act 2023 implementation
Documents that form the key policies driving decision making at the CAA.
Monitoring is a vital part of how we evaluate the performance of individuals, organisations, and various aspects of the aviation system. It helps us grasp how well everything is working and informs our decision-making for setting priorities and taking regulatory actions.
Much of the funding for our safety activities comes from fees and levies on commercial operators and the travelling public. Most of the charges levied on airlines are earmarked to fund our security activities.
The charter is a commitment to you on the standards we aim to achieve in carrying out our functions.
We collect information from a wide range of sources and for a variety of purposes in the course of executing our regulatory functions. All information that we collect is managed in accordance with our obligations under the Privacy Act 2020 and the Official Information Act 1982.
