28 November 2023
IR-01-23-35851
Amy T
[FYI request #24724 email]
Tēnā koe Amy
I am writing to you in response to your Official Information Act 1982 (OIA) request dated
13 November 2023. You asked:
I am writing to you under the Official Information Act 1982 to seek information
regarding the New Zealand Police's policies and procedures concerning the
consideration of Freemasons New Zealand membership in the firearms licensing
process.
Specifical y, I am interested in the following details:
1. Does the New Zealand Police review membership of Freemasons New Zealand
as part of the firearms licensing process?
2. If Freemasons New Zealand membership is considered in the licensing process,
what impact does such membership make in the assessment of an individual's
eligibility for a firearms license?
I can advise that there is no specific reference to Freemasons membership in the firearms
licencing process.
Te Tari Pūreke – Firearms Safety Authority assess Firearms licence applicants against
legislative criteria, their chosen referees and personal history information.
To be eligible to apply for a firearms licence, you must:
•
be aged 16 or over
•
not have had a firearms licence revoked in the last 5 years
•
not be a disqualified person from having a firearms licence.
For your application to be successful, Te Tari Pūreke must find that:
•
you are a fit and proper person to possess and use firearms
•
you have secure storage at your home addresses to store firearms and
ammunition
•
no one that you live with has had a firearms licence revoked, been disqualified
from having a firearms licence, or been found not fit and proper to have and use
firearms has access to your firearms and ammunition.
Te Tari Pūreke – Firearms Safety Authority
Telephone: 0800 844 431
www.firearmssafetyauthority.govt.nz
Te Tari Pūreke – Firearms Safety Authority is a business unit of New Zealand Police.
Please see the fol owing link to the Arms Act 1983. Sections 23 determines who can
apply for a firearms licence, and 24A provides the criteria for a ‘fit and proper’ person.
Section 22H lists disqualifying offences.
•
Arms Act 1983 No 44 (as at 24 June 2023), Public Act – New Zealand Legislation
For your information, Police has developed a process for proactive release of information,
so the anonymised response to your request may be publicly released on the New
Zealand Police website.
Nāku noa, nā
Matt Boddy
Deputy Director Operations
Firearms Safety Authority
