The Civil Aviation Authority has been told to report to the Government every three months on how it is addressing concerns about its monitoring of aviation operations.
The Auditor General's office on Tuesday issued its fourth critical report on the authority since 1997.
The report found the authority is not sufficiently targetting high-risk operators and noted that just one out of ten recommendations in a 2005 report had been fully implemented.
Transport Minister Steven Joyce says that's not good enough, and the authority must fix the problems.
The Civil Aviation Authority says it accepts the Auditor General's recommendations, but adds New Zealand's safety record has improved over the last decade.
Chairperson Rick Bettle says personnel changes played a part in failing to move fast enough, though he believes progress is being made.
