This is one of those threads that makes me curious about how rules can differ in different places.
I have always encouraged my passengers to text if they want and leave my phone on. After a quick google I found this from 2010. Use your phone in NZ but perhaps don't divert your office phone.
Cellphone Use VFR
On 10 November 2007,a Fletcher FU24-950EX aircraft collided with terrain while top-dressing near Opotiki. The pilot was killed in the accident and the aircraft was destroyed.
The aircraft was fitted with a cellphone hands-free kit, which enabled the pilot to speak on the phone through his headset. Phone records showed that the aeroplane’s cellphone had been connected that day for more than 90 minutes, on 14 voice calls, and that the pilot was speaking on the phone at the time of the accident. Earlier that year, the same pilot had been talking on the aeroplane cellphone while taking off on a top-dressing flight when the aeroplane hit a sheep on the airstrip.
The Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) report into the November 2007 fatal accident said, “No single conclusive reason, such as sudden incapacitation, was found to explain why the pilot did not pull up, but the circumstances suggested a combination of factors involving distractions and fatigue.
“The use of cellphones by agricultural pilots flying at low level was not uncommon, and the pilot evidently did so regularly…The accident occurred after more than 7 hours of work and more than 90 takeoffs and landings for that day.”
The TAIC report recommended that the Director of Civil Aviation address the safety implications of the use of cellphones during critical phases of flight while operating under visual flight rules (VFR). The Director has accepted this
recommendation, and rule development will begin on this issue.
Until the rule development process has been completed it is essential that all pilots apply common sense to their use of cellphones for voice calls and text messaging while VFR. Just because there is no rule against it, doesn’t mean it is a safe practice. Never let yourself be distracted from your core task of flying the aircraft, particularly during takeoff and landing, and low level operations.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that the use of cellphones by pilots is happening not just on private flights, and during agricultural operations, but also while on VFR air transport operations. It can be tempting to divert your office landline to your cell and continue to do business, or organise your social life, while flying. The privilege of flying, however, comes with the responsibility of maintaining good airmanship and professionalism at all times. This applies equally to both private and commercial pilots. Make safety your top
priority
.