Fenix engages in research, prepares submissions on regulatory issues, and engages in policy advocacy for the betterment of industry and society.
Fenix’s Managing Director, Andrew Shelley, leads our thought leadership. He advocates for the development of realistic regulation that responds to actual rather than imagined problems. A selection of his writing and analysis is provided below.
Speaking & Media Engagement
Q&A Interview, 27 April 2025
As part of the Q&A feature on Syos’ export success, Andrew was interviewed by Whena Owen about concerns around Chinese made drones, and about the potential use of larger drones for maritime aerial surveillance.
Articles and interviews on Radio NZ with contributions from Andrew
- Defence Force to embark on drone shopping spree, 14 April 2025
- High-flying drone and rocket builders facing barriers and looking abroad, 14 December 2022
- Audio report: New Zealand aerospace industry says it is facing too much red tape, 14 December 2022
- Interview: Police not concerned data collected by drones could go to Chinese government, 12 May 2021
- Police drone data risks ending up on servers Chinese government can access – reports, 12 May 2021
- Aviation industry member questions CAA report on drones, 26 August 2020
- ‘No repercussions’: Drone maker says no enforcement for flying rules, 8 January 2019
- Interview (Nine To Noon): Drones could increase our rural economic productivity, 25 March 2015
Analysis and Academic Research
Ground Risk
Andrew has written on the ground risk buffer that should apply to uncrewed multirotor and helicopter aircraft. His paper Ground Risk for Large Multirotor UAVs has informed the approach used for setting the ground risk buffer for UAV operations in New Zealand.
His 2023 research paper considered the relative ground risk of UAV operations over areas of differing population density. His work showed the need to move away from SORA 1.0/2.0 classifications of operation types and focus on the UAV size and population density. SORA 2.5 adopts a similar approach to ground risk. His 2016 research on ground risk associated with unmanned aircraft operations is highly cited in the academic literature, forming the foundation for subsequent research.
His contributions are:
- Ground Risk Model for UAVs, International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace, 10(1), January 2023.
- Ground Risk for Large Multirotor UAVs, working paper, Updated 29 January 2022.
- Ground Risk Buffer for Large Helicopter UAVs, working paper, 29 January 2022.
- A Model of Human Harm from a Falling Unmanned Aircraft: Implications for UAS Regulation, International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace, Vol 3(3), 2016.
Privacy, Public Safety and National Security
- A Counter-Drone Strategy for New Zealand, National Security Journal, 18 May 2022.
- Quantifying the Cost of Drone-Related Threats in New Zealand, National Security Journal, 08 November 2021.
- Addressing Security Concerns with Chinese Drones and DJI Products, Working Paper, revised 29 July 2020.
- Drone Registration will not prevent another Gatwick, Working Paper, 3 January 2019.
- Enabling Counter-UAS and UAS-Detection Systems in New Zealand, 28 August 2019.
- A Framework for Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System Regulation in New Zealand, Policy Quarterly, Vol 14(3):74-80, August 2018.
- Proposals to Address Privacy Violations and Surveillance by Unmanned Aerial Systems, Waikato Law Review, Vol 24(1), 2016.
- Application of New Zealand Privacy Law to Drones, Policy Quarterly, Vol 12(2), May 2016.
Other Papers and Submissions
- with Isaac Henderson, Examining unmanned aircraft user compliance with Civil Aviation Rules: The case of New Zealand, Transport Policy, March 2023.
- Response to NPRM 25-01 Research & Development Organisations and NPRM 25-02 Advanced Aviation Reform, Submission, 27 July 2025.
- Submission on the Civil Aviation Bill, Submission, 2 December 2021.
- Submission in response to the Enabling Drone Integration discussion paper, Submission, 4 June 2021.
- Submission on the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC 2021) Bill, Submission, 10 February 2020.
- Economic Benefits to New Zealand from Beyond-Line-of-Sight Operation of UAVs, Prepared for Callaghan Innovation, Andrew Shelley Economic Consulting Ltd and Aviation Safety Management Systems Ltd, 10 February 2015.