Drones could be used to deliver medicines to isolated Northland communities next year.
Drones could be delivering medicine to remote, rural Northland communities by March next year.
Medical Drones Aotearoa plans to trial delivering medical supplies to Mitimiti, north of Hokianga Harbour, in November and aims to start its first regular service by March, pending Civil Aviation Authority approval.
Company founder Robyn Kamira said about 14 per cent of patients in low socioeconomic and rural areas did not pick up their medicines and more rationed their medicines to make them last longer.
"The medical and crisis-support drone trials will lead to a high-quality, high-value service that will make a real difference to people's lives. We're focused on supporting communities that may otherwise be overlooked when it comes to deploying leading-edge technologies for services."