Minimum Approach commencement alt

[1Charlie]

In New Zealand, before an aircraft can be cleared for an approach it has to be issued with descent to minimum approach commencement alt or appropriate MSA. Which ever is higher.

eg
"Descend to 050' Cleared VOR/DME approach RWY36."

Pilots often confuse this with an instruction to maintain 050' and will challenge the controller for further descent.

Is this standard ICAO practice? Perhaps spliting the phraseology into two transmissions would be less ambiguous.

"Descend to 050'"...."Cleared VOR/DME approach RWY36"

Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

[Akhorahil]

In Spain when you are cleared for APP you can descend with the procedure. The clearance means you can descend to complete the app. But a lot of foreing pilots ask if they can leave the last cleared level. The only thing I could do to avoid that is clear to the level of the LLZ, nobody ever asked if he could descend more when he was establish on the ILS, but maybe that was just luck.

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

I personally think you would be better splitting the two instructions...