Drones built in Timaru are rewriting the wilding pine bill [NZ/AU]

Drones built in Timaru are rewriting the wilding pine bill [NZ/AU]

Friday 16 Oct 2026

Wilding pines and competitive underbrush just met their high-tech match. Christchurch R&D firm SPS Automation has unveiled the BFD 70 - a $150,000 AI-powered drone poised to drastically cut the cost of land management and forestry release spraying in New Zealand.

Measuring 4.5 metres across with a heavy-duty 50kg spray payload, the Timaru-built drone operates entirely without a pilot. Using Nvidia-powered AI, Lidar, and stereoscopic cameras, it autonomously maps rough high country, identifies target trees, calculates the exact herbicide dose, and sprays. Recent trials recorded a 100% kill rate, clearing terrain in days that would traditionally take ground crews weeks.

With the Crown boosting wilding pine funding and easing drone regulations, this technology is shifting from prototype to practical reality.

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Source: B2B News (Video: Countrywide)
Image credit: SPS Automation

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