The Defence Force is keeping a "watching brief" over the unmanned planes, some of which have the range to conduct surveillance in the Southern Ocean around the Antarctic and up to the Pacific Islands.
Drones are best known for their use to fire missiles against militants in Iraq and Afghanistan.
But the ability to spend up to 32 hours in the air and send back video images in real-time means they could take up the Air Force's role of monitoring New Zealand's exclusive economic zone and the neighbouring waters for illegal fishing boats and even conduct searches for lost vessels.
They would be launched from a New Zealand airfield and directed from a control room.
The New Zealand Army has also developed its own hand-launched version called the Kahu that is almost ready for soldiers to use in "over the hill" observations in battlegrounds like Afghanistan.
The head of the Army's capability staff, Colonel Phil Collett, said the Defence Force was assessing drones "to find out what questions we should be asking to become an informed customer".
"[The] NZDF certainly thinks there is a place for this kind of technology," he said.
It was examining how drones could fit into the inventory available to the Navy, Army and Air Force.
Defence Minister Wayne Mapp said as well as the "watching brief", drones would likely be considered in the upcoming Defence White Paper, which will shape the function and resources of the armed forces in the coming years.
Dr Mapp noted the US Coastguard and Australian Government were both looking at drones for sea patrols.
The US Coastguard wants an unmanned helicopter that can be launched from ships, while Australia has tested several drones, including the long-range Global Hawk.
Dr Mapp said the use of drones had been raised several times at the public consultation meetings being undertaken for the White Paper.
Just because they were unmanned did not mean they were cheap, as they still required a pilot and support crew monitoring images on the ground.
He said it would also take a top-end version with the expense of satellite links to monitor New Zealand's exclusive economic zone, which extends 370km from shore and is one of the biggest in the world.
It becomes even bigger when international obligations in the Southern Ocean and Pacific are factored in.
Dr Mapp said two manned planes could do a similar job, "with the added advantage that you can change mission and throw a liferaft out".
Drone technology is rapidly advancing and the US Air Force is now training more drone operators than fighter and bomber pilots, in what is seen as a fundamental shift.
Dr Mapp said New Zealand needed military resources with flexibility, and the advances with drones could provide this.
