Not necessarily. They were flying late for the coverage below 10,000 - when I fly there at night they offer me non-standard altitude to finish the flight under control. Besides, even outside of the control area there are approach plates and charts that depict safe procedures for approach (I am talking about GPS now, NDB in Taupo is notoriously unreliable). DA42 has very decent G1000 package which helps a lot in terms of orientation and positioning.
Sorry pal, How many times do we in NZ have to witness these kinds of accidents, yes we all can make mistakes but in the world of modern technology why can’t Airways Corp provide a service ( Radar oversight ) for our young kiwis trying to better themselves. User pay system is harming safety and progress - Airways Corp guilty.