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7 June 2024
IR-01-24-16158
J Dough
[FYI request #26750 email]
Tēnā koe J Dough
Thank you for your Official Information Act 1982 (OIA) requests dated 13 May 2024,
wherein you submitted six requests in relation to firearms legislation and Te Tari Pūreke –
Firearms Safety Authority.
Te Tari Pūreke’s responses to each of your six requests are provided below.
1. The Arms Act 1982 Section 94 covers what the NZ Police must record in the
firearms registry, with Section 94(1)(e) includes the information for each firearms
or related part.
Can the NZ Police please provide references to where in legislation there is the
requirement for someone to make a declaration that they have nothing in their
possession, i.e. firearm / restricted weapon / prohibited magazine, as covered by
Section 94(1)(e).
Can they similarly provide all legal advice which they have to require people to
confirm that they have nothing in their possession, i.e. firearm / restricted weapon
/ prohibited magazine, as covered by Section 94(1)(e).
As you have noted, licence holders are required to provide information for the Registry,
including information about arms items that need to be registered. If the licence holder
has no registrable arms items in their possession at the relevant time, they are asked to
confirm this when engaging with the Registry (see sections 94(1)(e) and (2)(b) of the
Arms Act
1, and regulations 40 to 42 of the Arms Regulations
2 and Te Tari Pūreke –
Firearms Safety Authority’s website
: https://www.firearmssafetyauthority.govt.nz/firearms-
registry).
With this information to hand, Registry staff will know there is no need to further contact
the person to encourage compliance.
In response to your request for “all legal advice” regarding the above, Police is refusing
this part of your request under section 18(e) of the OIA, as the information requested
does not exist.
1
https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1983/0044/latest/whole.html#LMS187175
2
https://www.legislation.govt.nz/regulation/public/1992/0346/latest/DLM168889.html
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.
2.Could the NZ Police please provide me with a copy of the fol owing items of
legislation as used by the NZ Police.
This should not be simply a link to the NZ legislation website, but what the NZ
Police actual y use for day to day policing.
Arms Act 1983
Arms Regulations 1992
Evidence Act 2006
Official Information Act 1982
Also confirm for each of the above if this is the latest version.
Police uses legislation that is current and which applies at the time of any matter under
consideration. The various iterations of legislation used by Police are publicly available on
the government’s official legislation website, at
www.legislation.govt.nz. Therefore, Police
is refusing this part of your request under section 18(d) of the OIA as the information
requested is publicly available.
For the each of the above, also provide a copy of any guidance documentation
for applying each piece of legislation.
The Police Manual is the principal source of guidance for Police staff and is not
categorised according to the legislation you have listed above. As such, it would require
Police to manual y search through each chapter of the Police Manual, which contains
approximately 600 chapters, to identify which parts relate to the legislation you have
listed. Therefore, Police is refusing this part of your request under section 18(f) of the
OIA, as the information requested cannot be made available without substantial collation
or research.
Please note that some of the Police Manual chapters are publicly available on the Police
website:
https://www.police.govt.nz/about-us/publications/corporate/police-manual-chapters
There are mentions of the Evidence Act and the other Acts you have listed across various
chapters, and if there is a particular question you need assistance with, in relation to
specific legislation, please let Te Tari Pūreke know, who will endeavour to assist further.
In addition, I have attached a copy of the
Arms Introduction and
Firearms Registry
chapters for your information.
3.Could the NZ Police please confirm that the Firearms Safety Authority is a part
of the NZ Police.
Can they also confirm that anyone in the Firearms Safety Authority who uses a
police rank, e.g. inspector, is employed by the NZ Police and is a sworn police
officer.
Please refer to the “About the Firearms Registry” section of Te Tari Pūreke’s website,
through the link below.
https://www.firearmssafetyauthority.govt.nz/firearms-registry/about-firearms-registry
link to page 3
Te Tari Pūreke is a business unit of Police and so all employees of the unit are appointed
under the Policing Act 2008 and are Police employees. Some of those employees are
also constabulary staff.
4.Could the NZ Police please confirm if information that has been provided to the
Firearms Safety Authority counts as being information provided to the NZ Police,
as Regulation 37(5) of the Arms Regulations 1992
As per regulation 37(5) of the Arms Regulations 1992, information provided to Police for
the purposes of entry in the Registry must be “provided in a manner or form determined
by the Commissioner”. Current methods of providing information are set out on Te Tari
Pūreke’s website
: https://www.firearmssafetyauthority.govt.nz/firearms-registry
5.Could the NZ Police please provide the definition of "enforcement action" as
used by the NZ Police and any legal definition(s) / advice they have with how that
word is to be used.
Te Tari Pūreke has interpreted your request for the definition of “enforcement action”, and
“compliance action” to be in the context of the Registry. In that context, both are
activating circumstances specified under regulation 41(1)(d) of the Arms Regulations
1992
3 for registry purposes. Some examples of enforcement or compliance action are
listed in regulation 41(1)(d), and include:
• Inspections of storage security and arms items
• Warnings
• Improvement notices
• Temporary suspension of licences
• Criminal charges under the Arms Act.
Compliance or monitoring activities such as security inspections are included in the
above actions, regardless of whether there is a prior concern about the particular licence
holder. In response to the part of your request for legal advice pertaining to enforcement
action, Police is withholding the information requested in ful under section 9(2)(h) of the
OIA, where withholding is necessary to maintain legal professional privilege.
6.Could the NZ Police please provide me with a copy of al legal advice that they
have to enable the NZ Police Commissioner to delegate the powers provided to
them in the Arms Regulations 1992.
To il ustrate what is being requested, Regulations 6(1A)(a), 9G(2) and 28F al
explicitly list actions to be performed by "the Commissioner", with these being just
a small section of the almost 200 such cases in the Arms Regulations 1992.
There are no examples in the Arms Regulations 1992 where there is the explicit
permission to delegate from "the Commissioner" to someone else.
3
https://www.legislation.govt.nz/regulation/public/1992/0346/latest/whole.html#LMS851206
link to page 4 link to page 4
Section 72 of the Arms Act 1983
4 and section 17 of the Policing Act 2008
5 provide
statutory authority for the Commissioner to delegate his statutory powers and functions
under the Arms Act and any enactment, and no specific legal advice exists in relation to
this statutory authority. Therefore, Police is refusing this part of your request under
section 18(e) of the OIA, as the information requested does not exist.
You have the right to ask the Ombudsman to review this decision if you are not satisfied
with the response to your request. Information about how to make a complaint is
available at:
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz.
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
Matthew Boddy
Acting Director Operations
Firearms Safety Authority
4
https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1983/0044/latest/DLM73360.html
5
https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2008/0072/latest/whole.html#DLM1102196
Firearms registry
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
2
Overview
4
Introduction
4
Purpose
4
Arms Act 1983
4
Arms Regulations 1992
4
What the Registry will capture
6
When the Registry will capture this information
6
Initial obligation to provide information for Registry ‐ people who are existing licence holders immediately before 24 June 2023
6
Ongoing obligations to update information and record events
7
New licence holders from 24 June 2023
7
Possession vs ownership ‐ who registers an item?
8
Temporary transfer of a firearm
9
Particulars
10
Particulars ‐ licence holders
10
Particulars ‐ specified arms items
10
How firearms licence holders will provide information for the Registry
11
Activating circumstances which trigger an existing licence holder’s obligation to register items
11
Timeframe to provide information following an activating circumstance
14
Timeframes per activating circumstance
14
Final date for the provision of initial information by existing licence holders on all specified arms items they possess
16
Non‐compliance with requirements after activating circumstance
17
Being subject to compliance or enforcement action (activating circumstance) and impact on possession
of firearms
18
Obligation to keep licence holder information up to date
19
Ongoing recording of matters relating to specified arms items in the registry as events occur
20
Transfers (purchase, receipt, sale and supply) of arms items by licence holders
20
Items received by dealer under section 59A of the Act
20
Dealer supply of ammunition
21
The importation of ammunition
21
Ammunition sales by ammunition sellers
21
Transfers by mail order and internet sales for non‐prohibited firearms, non‐prohibited magazines, non‐prohibited parts,
ammunition, and pistol carbine conversion kits
21
Importing
21
Exporting
22
Manufacture
22
The modification of a firearm from a prohibited firearm to a non‐prohibited firearm
22
Loss, theft, or destruction
23
Identifying marking
23
Bringing dealer information into the Registry
24
Interim measure ‐ dealer transactions using the Drupal form
24
Dealer records that will continue to be kept in a dealer book even when the dealer has been brought into the Registry
25
Shooting clubs and ranges
26
Shooting clubs
26
Shooting ranges
26
Application of regulations to the Department of Conservation
27
Application of registry‐related regulations to the Crown
28
Executors/administrators of the estate of a deceased person who was in possession of firearms or a
person who has power of attorney for a person who is in possession of firearms
29
Security of information
30
Accessing information in the Registry
31
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Police access to registry
31
Duration of records in the Registry
31
Privacy of information in the Registry
31
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Firearms registry
Overview
Introduction
In 2020, the
Arms Legislation Act 2020 amended the
Arms Act 1983 to strengthen the control and regulation of firearms in Aotearoa.
Among these amendments was the establishment of the Registry, which came into force on 24 June 2023. The
Arms Regulations 1992
provides further details about how the Registry will work, also taking effect from 24 June 2023.
Purpose
This chapter describes the Registry and detailed requirements of who must register arms items, when they need to do this, and the
particulars to be supplied about themselves and arms items they possess, and subsequent events (such as transfers, modification, loss,
destruction, or export) relating to those registered arms items.
The Registry stores and links information on all regulated arms items held, obtained, and transferred by all licence holders, as well as
other information specified in the regulations.
Licensed persons and any other persons specified in regulations are required to provide up‐to‐date information for the Registry on all
items in their possession when specified activating circumstances occur during the first five years of the Registry. Activating
circumstances include when applying for a licence or endorsement, changing licence holder information such as contact details,
buying or selling arms, or buying ammunition.
If no activating circumstances occur before 24 June 2028, then licence holders must provide information for the registry no later than
31 August 2028.
Through changes to the
Arms Act and the
Arms Regulations, the Registry will (over a five year period) capture information about
licence holders and their arms items, and will continue to record changes to licence holder information and their arms items.
Arms Act 1983
On 24 June 2023, the following sections were incorporated into the Act and took effect:
‑ Sections
93 to 95; these sections cover the establishment of the Registry, the content of the Registry and obligations to provide
information to the Registry.
‑ Section
58A; which sets out offences relating to the Registry.
‑ Sections
38Y to 38ZH in Part 7; which cover direct access by specified government agencies to the Registry, if a direct access
agreement is entered into by Ministers after consultation with the Privacy Commissioner and the Minister’s Advisory Group.
‑
Clause 14 of Schedule 1; that contains the 5 year transition period over which existing licence holders will provide information
for the Registry.
Sections
94(1)(f) and 94(2)(b) provide for regulations to prescribe, or for the Commissioner to require, other particulars and
information for the Registry so that it is a more complete record of details of specified arms items held by licence holders.
Arms Regulations 1992
Part 9 of the Regulations provides more detail about the Registry including what, how and when information will be provided for it to
enable particulars to be recorded centrally in the Registry. “Particulars” for the purpose of this chapter means information that is to be
recorded about individuals and arms items.
Regulations require licence holders to notify Police of any change to some of the details they provided when applying for a firearms
licence, so that the Registry is kept up to date. The Registry must have information on licence holder’s current contact details so that
any correspondence is sent to the correct address. This also ensures Police has current details on licence and permit holders, including
the safe storage locations for firearms and ammunition.
Regulations outline the information firearms licence holders and dealers are required to provide for the Registry, including:
‑ particulars of arms items they possess
‑ the details of events such as receipt, supply, manufacture, modification, import, export, and theft, loss or destruction of arms
items
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Firearms registry
Regulations also specify when information needs to be provided for inclusion in the Registry and provides for the Commissioner to
determine the manner and form for providing information to Police.
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Firearms registry
What the Registry will capture
The Act and the Regulations will capture:
‑ licence holder information and details of their licences and endorsements and conditions (and changes to that information).
See
Particulars ‐ Licence holders below; and
‑ details of arms items* possessed by licence holder and the location of the Police approved secure storage. See Particulars ‐
specified arms items below.
‑ details of events relating to movement of arms items (e.g. transferred, imported or exported, lost, manufactured) enabling them
to be tracked. See
Ongoing Recording of Matters below.
*Arms items, for the purpose of the Registry are defined in regulation
36 as all of the following:
‑ firearms (including prohibited firearms)
‑ prohibited magazines
‑ major firearm parts [the action (frame, receiver, or upper and lower receiver) of a firearm, the frame of a pistol, and a calibre
conversion component or kit of a pistol]
‑ restricted weapons
‑ pistol carbine conversion kits.
*For the purpose of this chapter, they will be referred to as specified arms items so as not to confuse them with ‘arms items’ as defined
under
section 2 of the
Arms Act 1983.
Firearms exclude antique firearms and other firearms identified in section
22(1) of the Act or any regulations made under that section
(currently regulation
20) for which a firearms licence is not required (hereafter referred to as “exempted firearms”)
While airguns are not captured in the registry, especially
dangerous airguns will be, because they are included in the definition of
“firearm” under the section
2 of the
Arms Act 1983.
When the Registry will capture this information
Initial obligation to provide information for Registry ‐ people who are existing licence holders
immediately before 24 June 2023
The Registry will capture information from people who hold licences immediately before 24 June 2023 over a five‐year phase‐in period
as activating circumstances occur (for example, applying for a licence or endorsement, or being involved in a transfer, or purchasing
ammunition after 24 June 2025).
For firearms licence holders, this applies where any activating circumstance occurs from 24 June 2023 (except the purchase of
ammunition does not become an activating circumstance until after 24 June 2025).
For dealer licence holders (who will have greater quantities of arms items to register), the Commissioner will determine a later date (no
later than 24 June 2025) after which an activating circumstance will trigger the obligation to provide all information on their holdings
for the Registry.
In the meantime, dealers will continue to record information about arms items in their dealer book and will make that information
available to Police in the form and manner and as frequently as prescribed by the Commissioner. This dealer book information does
not get added to the Registry but will be a way to monitor individual licence holders whose obligations have been triggered. The
Commissioner has prescribed that dealers provide information on sale/supply and receipt/purchase of arms items through an online
form at the point of receipt of delivery, until the dealers enter the registry.
For the purposes of the Registry, a dealer or ammunition seller must be treated as an individual licence holder in relation to any arms
item or ammunition in their possession that are primarily for their personal use (
reg 36(2)). This means that a dealer may need to
record their personal items from a different date to their dealer stock.
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Firearms registry
If no activating circumstances occur before 24 June 2028, then licence holders must provide information for the registry no later than
31 August 2028.
For more about activating circumstances and the timeframe for providing information after an activating circumstance, see Activating
circumstances below.
Ongoing obligations to update information and record events
Licence holders have ongoing obligations to provide information to the Registry about:
‑ changes to information recorded about the licence holder; and
‑ details about events involving arms items and ammunition (e.g., arms items acquired or supplied/lost/disposed of), including
details of the arms items concerned.
Ammunition sellers must provide ammunition sales information for the Registry from 24 June 2025, or an earlier date determined by
the Commissioner.
See
‘Obligation to keep licence holder information up to date’ below for further details.
New licence holders from 24 June 2023
Information about people who become licence holders on or after 25 June 2023 and their firearms will be captured as they enter the
system (by applying for and obtaining a licence) and then as they engage in transactions involving specified arms items and
ammunition.
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Firearms registry
Possession vs ownership ‐ who registers an item?
Any firearms licence holder who possesses a specified arms item must provide the items’ particulars for inclusion on the Registry.
Possession means the person knows where the specified arms item is and has actual or potential control over it and has an intention
to exercise that control.
For example, a Licence Holder A may be storing a firearm for Licence Holder B, who lives at a different address or overseas and ‘owns’
the firearm. As Licence Holder A is in possession of the firearm (it is in their home and they have the ability to exercise control over the
item while they are storing it), they must register the particulars of the item themselves, despite Licence Holder B being the ‘owner’ of
the firearm.
Te Tari Pūreke will not moderate civil disputes over who ‘owns’ a specified arms item as the purpose of the Registry is to record the
particulars of the specified arms items that a person currently has in their possession.
‑ If a licence holder has no specified arms items in their possession, they can declare this in the Registry.
‑ If a licence holder shares a specified arms item with another licence holder, that item can only be registered once by a single
licence holder in the Registry.
‑ If a licence holder is responsible for specified arms item(s) on behalf of a shooting club or shooting range they are also
responsible for registering the item(s) against their firearms licence number.
‑ If Licence Holder A has temporarily loaned a firearm (not being a pistol, restricted weapon, prohibited magazine, or prohibited
firearm) to licence holder B or are storing it with them for less than 30 days (a
temporary transfer ‐ see below), they (A) should
still register the item as if they currently have it in their possession.
‑ If Licence Holder A has loaned a specified arms item to Licence Holder B for more than 30 days, or if Licence Holder B is storing
the item for Licence Holder A for more than 30 days, it is Licence Holder B’s responsibility to register the item against their
licence holder details because it is in their possession.
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Firearms registry
Temporary transfer of a firearm
Means a transfer of possession of a firearm (not being a pistol, restricted weapon, prohibited magazine, or prohibited firearm) or other
item for less than 30 days.
Section 95(4) of the
Arms Act 1983 refers.
Temporary transfers of non‐prohibited firearms ‐ A temporary transfer (of less than 30 days) of a firearm that is not a pistol,
restricted weapon, or prohibited firearm and not a prohibited magazine does not need to be recorded in the Registry.
All transfers of pistols, restricted weapons, prohibited firearms, and prohibited magazines ‐ All transfers of pistols, restricted
weapons, prohibited magazine and prohibited firearms, no matter how long the transfer is for, will need both:
‑ a permit to possess (obtained prior to the transfer); and
‑ the transfer of the item must also be recorded in the Registry:
‑ The person supplying the item must record the sale or supply in the registry when the sale or supply occurs or immediately
after the sale or supply.
‑ The person receiving the item must record the receipt as soon as practicable, but no later than 30 days after the purchase
or receipt of the item.
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Firearms registry
Particulars
The Registry will link licence holder information with the specified arms items that they possess. Te Tari Pūreke staff who work in the
Registry and Services Team will need to be able to register all information relating to both licence holders and specified arms items.
Particulars ‐ licence holders
Regulations require licence holders to provide the following information about themselves for inclusion in the Registry:
‑ in the case of a firearms licence holder:
‑ full name, date of birth, contact phone number, email address, residential address, and postal address (if different from
residential address)
‑ the number and date of expiry of their firearms licence
‑ the date of expiry of every endorsement on the licence
‑ every condition on the licence and endorsements additional to conditions imposed by the Act or regulations
‑ whether the licence holder is an ammunition seller
‑ details of the locations approved by Police where they store arms items and ammunition in their possession, including for
any specified arms items that a licence holder may hold on‐behalf of a shooting club or shooting range.
‑ in the case of a dealer’s licence holder:
‑ full name, date of birth, contact phone number, email address, residential address, and postal address (if different)
‑ the number and date of expiry of the licence
‑ the date of expiry of every endorsement on the licence
‑ every condition on the licence or an endorsement that is additional to conditions imposed by this Act or the regulations
‑ the registered name of the business (if it is a body corporate), the trading name (the name by which the business’s customers
know it) (if any), and the New Zealand Business Number (if any)
‑ the current business address and, if the dealer is operating from more than one place of business, the addresses of those other
places of business
‑ the address of any separate warehousing/storage facilities they operate
‑ the names of employees who handle or have access to arms items or ammunition at the dealer’s place of business, their firearms
licence numbers, and any endorsements on those licences that they have in their capacity as an employee.
Police already holds all information related to licence holders from the licencing process. Licence holders must be treated as having
provided the relevant information if it is already held by Police. In some cases, the information required by Regulations will already be
held in NIA and will be transferred over to the Registry.
Regulations require licence holders to keep the information updated by providing Police with details of any change to their licence
holder information.
Registry staff may need to confirm some information with licence holders for identification purposes and may assist licence holders to
update the Registry as needed.
Particulars ‐ specified arms items
Regulations require licence holders to provide the following information on the below specified arms items for the Registry:
‑ If the item is a
firearm, its:
‑ make (manufacturer’s name) and model
‑ identifying marking (e.g., serial number), in accordance with the relevant guidance notice (if any)
‑ type (shotgun, rifle, pistol, rifle/shotgun combination, assault rifle, submachine gun, machine gun or other)
‑ action (bolt, lever, single‐shot, pump, break‐open, full‐automatic, semi‐automatic, select‐fire, revolver, rocket/missile,
muzzle‐loading, pre‐charged pneumatic, or other)
‑ calibre or gauge
‑ for firearms with a non‐detachable magazine, the magazine type (integral or tubular) and its capacity
‑ if requested, a photo of the item, (in accordance with the relevant guidance notice, if any).
‑ If the item is a
restricted weapon, its:
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Firearms registry
‑ make (manufacturer’s name) and model
‑ identifying marking, in accordance with the relevant guidance notice (if any)
‑ type (mortar, mine, cannon, grenade or missile launcher, artillery, or other)
‑ action
‑ calibre or gauge
‑ if requested, a photo of the item, in accordance with the relevant guidance notice (if any).
‑ If the item is a
prohibited magazine, its:
‑ make (manufacturer’s name) and model
‑ identifying marking, in accordance with the relevant guidance notice (if any)
‑ type (box, rotary, stick, other)
‑ calibre or gauge
‑ capacity (number of rounds)
‑ if requested, a photo of the item, in accordance with the relevant guidance notice (if any).
‑ If the item is a
major firearm part, its:
‑ make and model
‑ a description of the part (the frame, receiver, or upper receiver or lower receiver of a firearm, the frame of a pistol, or the
calibre conversion component or kit of a pistol): (unless it is incorporated or integrated into a firearm)
‑ identifying marking, in accordance with the relevant guidance notice (if any)
‑ if requested, a photo of the item, in accordance with the relevant guidance notice (if any).
‑ If the item is a
pistol carbine conversion kit, its:
‑ make (manufacturer’s name) and model
‑ identifying marking, in accordance with the relevant guidance notice (if any)
‑ if requested, a photo of the item, in accordance with the relevant guidance notice (if any)
Note: A ‘Firearms Reference Table’ sits behind the Registry and lists all known specified arms items currently in New Zealand. This
table provides the list of arms items a person may enter onto the Registry. In the event an item is not on the Firearms Reference Table,
or is a custom‐built firearm, the firearms licence holder or dealer will need to call Te Tari Pūreke to register the firearm over the phone
so that it can be correctly described and entered into the Registry.
How firearms licence holders will provide information for the Registry
Regulation 37 provides that licence holders must provide the information to Police in a manner or form determined by the
Commissioner.
The primary method licences holders will use to provide details for the Registry is via their MyFirearms portal on the Te Tari Pūreke ‐
Firearms Safety Authority website.
Information can also be provided through the dedicated Te Tari Pūreke firearms enquiries team via phone on 0800 844 431 (09 302
6500).
Activating circumstances which trigger an existing licence holder’s obligation to register
items
The activating circumstances, which trigger the requirements for an existing licence holder to register all specified arms items in their
possession are as follows:
‑ application for a licence or endorsement
‑ has a change in licence holder information covered by
Schedule 1B,
Part 1 or
Part 2 of the Regulations:
‑
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Firearms registry
Firearms licence holder
Dealer licence holder
Name
Name
Contact phone number
Contact phone number
Email address
Email address
Residential address
Residential address
Postal address
Postal address
FLIC number and expiry date
Dealer licence number and expiry date
Expiry date of endorsement(s)
Expiry date of endorsement(s)
Conditions or endorsements
Conditions or endorsements
Whether they are an ammunition Registered name of the business, trading name or NZ Business number
seller or not
Locations of secure storage
Address of any separate warehouses or storage facilities
Name of the employees who handle, or have access to, arms items and their firearms
licence numbers or endorsements
‑ involved in any event specified in
Schedule 1B,
Part 4 of the Regulations:
‑
Event
Transfer of an arms item by sale, supply, purchase or receipt (excluding a temporary transfer)
Importation of an arms item
Exportation of an arms item
Manufacture of an arms item
Loss, theft or destruction of an arms item
Importation of ammunition
Sale of ammunition by dealer or ammunition seller to a firearms licence holder
Modification of a prohibited firearm to a non‐prohibited firearm
‑ being subject to any
compliance or enforcement action under the Act, including inspections of storage security and arms items,
warnings, improvement notices, temporary suspensions of licence and criminal charges under the Act
‑ purchase of ammunition (after 24 June 2025).
Most licence holders and dealers will have an activating circumstance within the five‐year period. This will require them to provide the
particulars of all the specified arms items they possess (
Regulation 40). The timeframe for providing that information after the
activating circumstance occurs is covered below.
All Te Tari Pūreke teams will likely encounter an activating circumstance in relation to a firearms licence holder and have a
responsibility to educate and encourage licence holders on their obligations for the Registry.
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Firearms registry
When an activating circumstance is encountered by a Te Tari Pūreke team (outside of the Registry Team) and a licence holder is
advised to meet their obligations for the Registry within the timeframe, the Registry Team must be advised of the activating
circumstance and the date and method by which the licence holder was advised of their obligation to provide their information to the
Registry.
For firearms licence holders the most likely activating event will be the purchase of ammunition (after 24 June 2025).
For dealer licence holders (who will have greater quantities of arms items to register), the Commissioner has the ability to determine a
later date (no later than 24 June 2025) after which an activating circumstance will trigger the obligation to provide all information on
their holdings for the Registry.
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Timeframe to provide information following an activating circumstance
Regulations require that details of all specified arms items possessed by the licence holder must be provided to Police within 30 days of
the first activating circumstance involving the licence holder taking place.
In cases where the activating circumstance involves the licence holder selling, supplying, exporting, manufacturing, modifying,
destroying, or notifying the loss/theft of an arms item, the licence holder must register the particulars of that specified arms item
(along with the details of that event) within a shorter timeframe, and then will have 30 days to register the remainder of the arms items
in their possession.
The Commissioner may, in relation to an individual firearms licence holder, extend the time frame for providing the information to a
later date no more than 60 days after the date of the activating circumstance, except where
Regulation 13 (Notification of Importation)
applies.
If no activating circumstance occurs before 24 June 2028 , the firearms licence holder must provide the information and
particulars required no later than 31 August 2028.
Timeframes per activating circumstance
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Activating circumstance
Timeframe for providing information on all arms items in possession
Application for a licence or
All arms items in the licence holder’s possession must be registered within 30 days
endorsement (includes
‘renewals’)
Notifying a change in licence
All arms items in the licence holder’s possession must be registered within 30 days (as well as the
holder information, such as a
change of licence holder information)
change of address
Sale or supply of an arms item
The arms item sold or supplied must be registered when the sale or supply occurs or immediately
after the sale or supply. All other arms items in the licence holder’s possession must be registered
within 30 days
Purchase or receipt of an arms
The arms item purchased or received must be registered as soon as practicable, but not later than
item
30 days after the purchase or receipt.
All other arms items in the licence holder’s possession must be registered within 30 days.
Importation of an arms item
The imported arms item and all other arms items already in the licence holder’s possession must be
registered within 30 days after the date on which the item is released to the importer by the New
Zealand Customs Service.
Exportation of an arms item
The exportation must be recorded in the registry within five days after the date of exportation.
All other arms items in the licence holder’s possession must be registered within 30 days.
Manufacture, modification, or
The manufactured, modified or destroyed arms item must be registered within five days after the
destruction of an arms item
date of manufacture, modification, or destruction.
All other arms items in the licence holder’s possession must be registered within 30 days.
Loss or theft of an arms item
The arms item lost or stolen must be registered immediately after the loss or theft is known to have
occurred.
All other arms items in the licence holder’s possession must be registered within 30 days.
Importation of ammunition
All arms items in the licence holder’s possession must be registered within 30 days after the date on
which the ammunition is released to the importer by the New Zealand Customs Service.
Sale of ammunition by dealer or All arms items in the dealer* or ammunition seller’s possession must be registered within 30 days.
ammunition seller to firearms
licence holder
Compliance or enforcement
All arms items in the licence holder’s possession must be registered within 30 days.
action under the Act
Purchase of ammunition (after 24 All arms items in the licence holder’s possession must be registered within 30 days.
June 2025)
*This does not include arms items a dealer possesses in their personal capacity. This refers to the arms items they possess in their
capacity as a dealer.
Ammunition sellers should not have any arms items in their possession for business reasons (in which case they
would require a
dealer licence). It is the sale of ammunition that is the activating circumstance to register all arms items, and sale of
ammunition is an event that must be recorded ongoing. Ammunition itself is not an arms item and therefore does not need to be
registered.
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Final date for the provision of initial information by existing licence holders on all specified
arms items they possess
Regulations require that if an existing licence holder possesses specified arms items on 25 June 2028 that have yet to be recorded in
the Registry (because no activating event has yet occurred), they will have until 31 August 2028 to provide Police with particulars on
those items for inclusion in the Registry.
This date provides licence holders with just over two months to provide information on the specified arms items they possess which
have not yet been recorded in the Registry. There should not be too many licence holders in this position because of the need to inform
Police of their arms items when they bought or sold a specified arms item or purchased ammunition (i.e., they were involved in an
activating event) over the previous five years.
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Non‐compliance with requirements after activating circumstance
If a firearms licence holder is non‐compliant with their requirement to provide their details and arms item particulars after an
activating circumstance, the four E’s of the Te Tari Pūreke regulatory response should be utilised‐
‑
Engage and
educate ‐ provide clear and accurate information around the firearms licence holder’s obligations and timeframes,
and how it fits with the purpose of the
Arms Act 1983.
‑
Encourage ‐ by way of Improvement Notice.
‑
Enforce ‐ warning letter or consideration of revocation.
Where appropriate, cases (i.e., offences) should be referred to operational Police for possible prosecution.
Engagement and education are the most important tools in informing firearms licence holders and dealers about their new obligations
in the Registry.
There will be circumstances where a firearms licence holder is willing to comply, but is unable to (for example, does not have access to
a computer or needs help reading serial numbers). In cases such as these, the Registry Team will provide support and, where
necessary, assist them in complying with their requirements, for example by tasking home visits.
If a firearms licence holder is able to comply but is actively unwilling to despite clear and consistent engagement and education, the
managers of the Registry, Compliance and Resolutions Teams should discuss the next steps in the graduated response (encourage and
enforce), and discuss whether Police should pursue a prosecution for an offence.
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Being subject to compliance or enforcement action (activating circumstance)
and impact on possession of firearms
If a licence holder is subject to compliance or enforcement action and there is an impact on the possession of their arms items as a
result of this, the licence holder should still enter their licence holder details in the Registry and declare that they have “no arms items
in their possession” (if applicable).
Notification to a licence holder that revocation of a licence is being considered (including a temporary suspension) is a compliance
activity which is an activating circumstance.
However, when the arms items have been seized (for example under
s60B(2)), the licence holder will no longer possess any specified
arms items (which need to be registered). As the licence holder is not in possession of the items that have been seized by Police, the
entry of these items on the Registry will occur when one of two things happen:
1. when a decision not to revoke is made and the items are returned to the licence holder
2. when a decision is made to revoke and the items are disposed of by way of transfer to another licence holder
The Firearms Resolutions Team must advise licence holders they interact or communicate with their requirements in the Registry.
Further to this the Resolutions Team must advise the Registry Team when point 1 or 2 above occurs.
A suspended firearms licence holder can still create an account in the Arms Information System and register their arms items before a
final revocation decision is made (either online or via phone). However, they will not be able to verify themselves as they will not be
able to present their firearms licence to a member of Police.
The temporarily suspended licence holder should be advised to declare in the Registry that they have “no arms items to declare” if
their arms items have been seized as part of a temporary suspension.
For more information regarding temporary suspensions of licences, see
Compliance ‐ Revocations arms chapter.
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Obligation to keep licence holder information up to date
Details about individual firearms licence holders must be provided when applying for a firearms licence, endorsement or permit.
Details about dealer’s licence holders must be provided when applying for a dealer’s licence, endorsement, permit or a renewal of a
dealer’s licence.
Licence holders must notify Police of a change in their licence holder information (such as an email address, residential address etc) as
soon as practicable after the change occurs.
As soon as practicable, after a person becomes an
executor or administrator of the estate of a deceased person possessed an arms
item or items or a person holds a
power of attorney in relation to the property of an incapacitated person who possesses arms item or
items, that executor, administrator, or attorney must provide to Police information about those arms items (see
regulation 43). See
‘Executors/administrators of the estate of a deceased person who was in possession of firearms or a person who has power of attorney
for a person who is in possession of firearms’ for further details.
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Ongoing recording of matters relating to specified arms items in the registry
as events occur
The ongoing recording of matters relating to the specified arms items that come into possession of a licence holder will be critical in
keeping the Registry up to date.
The table below details the relevant matters that require a licence holder to provide information about the specified arms items that
comes into or leaves their possession for the Registry, and when they must do so ‐
Matter
Information must be provided
Sale or supply of an arms item
When sale or supply occurs or immediately after the sale or supply.
Sale of ammunition
When the sale occurs or immediately after the sale.
Purchase or receipt of an arms item
As soon as practicable, but not later than 30 days after the purchase or receipt of the
arms item.
Manufacture, modification, or destruction of Within 5 days after the date of manufacture, modification, or destruction.
an arms item
Importation of an arms item
Within 30 days after the date on which the item is released to the importer by the New
Zealand Customs Service.
Exportation of an arms item
Within 5 days after the date of exportation.
Loss or theft of an arms item
Immediately after the loss or theft is known to have occurred.
Further information about these events is available throughout this chapter.
Transfers (purchase, receipt, sale and supply) of arms items by licence holders
Regulations require firearms licence holders to provide the following details to Police on transfers of specified arms items for inclusion
in the Registry:
‑ In the case of items purchased or received (other than temporary transfers):
‑ the date the item came into possession of the purchase or receiver
‑ the name and firearms licence number of the person from whom the item was received
‑ the relevant details of the item (see Particulars ‐arms items).
‑ In the case of items sold or supplied (other than temporary transfers):
‑ the date the item was handed over or dispatched
‑ the name and firearms licence number of the person to whom the item was delivered
‑ in the case of a pistol, prohibited firearm, prohibited magazine, pistol carbine conversion kit, or restricted weapon
delivered to a person who requires a permit to possess it, the date and number of the permit
‑ the relevant details of the item (see Particulars ‐ arms items).
A permit to possess is still also required for prohibited firearms, prohibited magazines, pistols, restricted weapons and pistol carbine
conversion kits before a transfer can take place.
A mail order form is still also required for mail orders or internet sales of non‐prohibited firearms before a transfer can take place. See
also Transfers by mail order and internet sales for non‐prohibited firearms, non‐prohibited magazines, non‐prohibited parts,
ammunition, and pistol carbine conversion kits.
Items received by dealer under section 59A of the Act
If a dealer receives a specified arms item under
section 59 of the
Arms Act 1983 (Surrender by licensed dealer of firearms etc) and
surrenders it to Police within 5 days, they are not required to provide the details of the name or firearms licence number of the person
from whom the arms item was received, but must still proved the date on which the item came into their possession and the details of
the arms item.
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Dealer supply of ammunition
Dealers will also need to enter details of ammunition sales to firearms licence holders into the registry. The details required for the
registry are the date on which the ammunition is handed over or dispatched, the type and quantity of ammunition sold, the name and
firearms licence number of the purchaser or the person supervising the purchaser.
As with arms items, once dealers provide details of ammunition sales into the Registry, then those need not be recorded in a record
book (
Regulation 7F(6)).
See also below section Bringing dealer information into the Registry re: timing for when Dealers will start putting information into the
Registry and how dealer book information will be provided in the interim.
The importation of ammunition
Regulations require that a licence holder importing ammunition must provide the following details to Police for inclusion in the
Registry:
‑ the date of the import
‑ the type and quantity of ammunition imported
‑ the number of the permit issued under
section 18.
‑ Other matters specified in
Regulation 13(2).
Ammunition sales by ammunition sellers
On and from a date determined by the Commissioner (not yet determined) or 24 June 2025, whichever occurs earlier, ammunition
sellers must provide to the Police for entry in the registry records of sales of ammunition.
The details required for the registry are the date on which the ammunition is handed over or dispatched, the type and quantity of
ammunition sold, the name and firearms licence number of the purchaser or the person supervising the purchaser.
The following details will be required for inclusion in the Registry:
‑ the name of the person to whom the ammunition was sold, and their licence number
‑ the quantity and type of ammunition sold
‑ the date on which the seller hands over or dispatches the ammunition.
When these details are provided online to Police for inclusion in the Registry, ammunition sellers will not have to include that same
information in their records book (see
section 22E(2)(b) of the
Arms Act 1983).
Transfers by mail order and internet sales for non‐prohibited firearms, non‐prohibited
magazines, non‐prohibited parts, ammunition, and pistol carbine conversion kits
If a transfer occurs as a result of a mail order or Internet sale, the applicable provisions in sections
35 to 38 and
43A of the Act still
apply.
The current mail order form and/or permit to possess (as appropriate) process must still take place, in addition to the registry
obligations for the transfer (e.g., if it involves a major firearms part, or a firearm).
Importing
An importer of specified arms items will need to provide the details of these specified items for inclusion in the Registry, as outlined
under ‘Particulars‐ specified arms item’.
Information is to be provided within 30 days after the date on which the item is released to the importer by the New Zealand Customs
Service.
Importers of specified arms items must still notify Police of their import by emailing the Permit Team at Kapiti with the details of their
import (as required in
Regulation 13).
Airguns, air pistol carbine conversion kits, blank firing guns, non‐prohibited magazines and firearm parts (i.e. not major firearm parts),
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and exempted firearms are not required to be registered in the Registry. Importers of such items must still notify Police of their import
by emailing the Permit Team at Kapiti with the details of their import (as required in
Regulation 13).
Exporting
Regulations require that the following particulars need to be provided by licence holders for the registry in relation to an exported
arms items:
‑ details of the specified arms items to be exported
‑ the date of export
‑ the export control/permit number.
An export controls permit number is required to be obtained from MFAT prior to any export of a firearm, unless:
‑ the person is taking their own sporting firearms overseas on a hunting holiday, or has been in New Zealand on a hunting holiday
may export their firearms and/or parts that they originally imported with a permit issued by Police, or
‑ the person is a competitor in international shooting contests taking competition sporting firearms overseas for their own use, or
‑ the person has been in New Zealand competing in a national or international shooting competition or are transiting New
Zealand to attend or return from a competition in a third country they may export their firearms and/or parts which they
originally imported with a permit issued by Police.
See
MFAT information for further details.
If an export is exempt from getting an export control permit number, the export should be marked as temporary in the Registry and the
reimport confirmed (by Police staff) when the item is returned to New Zealand.
The Registry needs to record arms items that leave the country so that it accurately reflects the number of arms items in the actual
possession of licence holders in New Zealand at the time. Further to this, MFAT is required to annually report all firearms imports and
exports under the Arms Trade Treaty.
Manufacture
When an arms item is manufactured for any reason (e.g., whether for sale, hire, lending, or other supply, or for personal use), the details
of the specified arms item need to be entered in the registry by the dealer or firearms licence holder, along with the date of completion
of manufacture.
Dealers are already required to record (in their dealer book) details of specified arms items they manufacture for sale, hire, lending, or
other supply (and a person must be a dealer if they do manufacture arms items for supply). For the registry to be a complete record of
all items possessed by licence holders, it will be necessary to include arms items that licence holders may manufacture for personal
use. This is also relevant in determining the safe storage requirements of the licence holder in accordance with the Act’s purpose to
promote the safe possession of firearms.
The modification of a firearm from a prohibited firearm to a non‐prohibited firearm
If it is proposed that a prohibited firearm be modified to a non‐prohibited firearm, this also needs to be recorded in the registry. A
person should engage with Police before modification to discuss their intentions.
Regulations require the following information:
‑ details of the prohibited firearm before and after modification
‑ a certification (from a person authorised by Police) that the modification has been properly carried out and the firearm is
permanently modified.
Non‐prohibited firearms may not be converted to prohibited firearms. It is an offence to assemble a prohibited firearm without lawful
purpose (
s 55A) and dealers may not manufacture prohibited firearms (
s 22G, and
5(1)(f),
5A(3) and
4A(1A) ‐ only prohibited parts and
only in the narrow circumstances of s
4A(1A)).
Modification means the modification of the fixed magazine of a prohibited firearm or the exchange or modification of a detachable
magazine to change the firearm’s class. The modification made to the magazine must be completed by a licensed dealer gunsmith and
must be permanent. It
does not refer to modifying the action or overall length or stock etc. of any firearm.
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Loss, theft, or destruction
Regulations require that in the event of loss, theft or destruction of a specified arms items the following particulars would need to be
provided to Police for inclusion in the Registry immediately after the occurrence:
‑ the date on which the specified arms item was lost, stolen, or destroyed
‑ details of the firearms (see Particulars ‐ specified arms items)
‑ the last known location of the firearm.
Note: Section
66A of the
Arms Act 1983 also provides an obligation to provide information relating to the loss, theft or destruction of a
firearm, prohibited magazine or restricted. It also covers the loss, theft or destruction of a prohibited part. The obligation requires the
person to give all information in their possession relating to the loss, theft, or destruction to Police.
Identifying marking
Regulations
5 and
12(4) requires all firearms licence holders possessing arms items, and dealers receiving arms items to place
identifying markings on any items that do not already have such markings.
Regulation
12A provides Police (a commissioned officer) powers to grant exemptions to individual firearms or dealer licence holders in
respect of the placement of the identification marking.
Identifying markings should be in English letters (A to Z) and Arabic numerals (0, 1, 2, 3, etc). Further guidance around identification
markings will be provided at a later date.
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Bringing dealer information into the Registry
For dealer licence holders (who will have greater quantities of arms items to register), the Commissioner has the ability to determine a
date (no later than 24 June 2025) after which an activating circumstance will trigger the obligation to provide all information on their
dealer holdings for the Registry.
For the Registry to remain up to date, it is preferable ‐ from a practical and efficiency point of view ‐ for Police to obtain information on
dealers’ and ammunition sellers’ transactions at the time they occur. This is most readily done if dealers and ammunition sellers enter
these transfers online into the Registry. It is consistent with modern business practices to have electronic/online capability.
This information aligns with the record keeping requirements of dealers in regulation
7, so involves no additional compliance, with the
difference being that dealers can enter these details into the Registry rather than a record book.
This will avoid the need for Police to make visits to dealer’s premises to inspect records, as Police will already have access to these
records in the Registry. This creates significant efficiencies in the auditing of dealers without compromising Police oversight of the
sales by dealers.
See
When the Registry will capture this information for further information.
Interim measure ‐ dealer transactions using the Drupal form
Dealers will continue to record information about arms items in their dealer book. The Regulations enable the Commissioner to
prescribe the manner and form and frequency with which those dealer records must be made available to Police.
The Commissioner has determined that some of this dealer book information will be provided from 24 June 2023, using an online
dealer transaction form. This form (referred to as a Drupal by operational staff) is an interim measure until such a time the Arms
Information System functionality is upgraded, and the Commissioner determines dates for each of the dealers to register their
specified arms items/stock (from when an activating circumstance occurs) and events involving those arms items and ammunition.
This dealer book information (once received by Police) does not get added to the Registry but will be a way to monitor individual
licence holders whose own registry obligations have been triggered (because their role in the transaction is an activating
circumstance).
A dealer must use the online dealer transaction form when they sell/supply or purchase/receive specified arms items and record the
item’s particulars (see Particulars ‐ specified arms items).
If they receive or supply a pistol, prohibited firearm, prohibited magazine, restricted weapon or pistol carbine conversion kit, they will
also need to record some details of the buyer’s permit to possess, including:
‑ permit number
‑ issue date
‑ office location (code).
The online dealer transaction form will validate their customer’s licence information with an in built ‘firearms licence checker’.
Once the dealer submits a record through Drupal, the dealer will be unable to save or retrieve the record. Dealers may continue to
record their transactions in their dealer record books, however they can request any submitted transaction records by contacting the
Registry & Services Team.
If the online transactions form is unavailable at the time of sale dealers must record the transaction in their usual dealer book format.
They must transfer the information to the online form when it is available again.
The Registry Service Team will monitor transactions and engage with firearms licence holders who have not registered their newly
purchased arms items, or other arms items in their possession within 30 days of purchase.
The Drupal form does not cover all transactions captured by registry requirements that a dealer is currently required to record in their
dealer book. Until the dealer enters the registry system, dealers will still need to record in their dealer books:
‑ ammunition sales
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‑ dealer‐to‐dealer transfers of arms items and ammunition
Dealer records that will continue to be kept in a dealer book even when the dealer has been
brought into the Registry
Even when the dealer has been brought into the Registry/AIS system at a date determined by the Commissioner, the dealer must
continue to record in their usual dealer book format other dealer record details specified in regulations, for example:
‑ airgun sales and supply, purchase and receipt, and manufacture hiring out airguns for a session for airsoft games, paintball
games, and military simulation activities inside a commercial sports venue
‑ non‐prohibited magazine sales.
For auctions, dealers must also continue to record the:
‑ date and place of the auction
‑ name of the auctioneer who conducted the auction
‑ method of delivery of the item to the purchaser.
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Shooting clubs and ranges
Shooting clubs
Information required by the Act or regulations to be provided by or on behalf of a shooting club to the Police (for example, pistol club
shooting activity records, ammunition sales records, and records of incidents or safety breaches) may be entered in the registry
digitally by or on behalf of the club when the Commissioner allows. This capability is not yet enabled.
Shooting ranges
Information required by the Act or regulations to be provided by or on behalf of a shooting range operator to the Police (for example,
records of incidents or safety breaches) may be entered in the registry digitally by or on behalf of the shooting range operator when the
Commissioner allows. This capability is not yet enabled.
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Application of regulations to the Department of Conservation
Arms items owned by the Department of Conservation will be recorded in the registry on and from a date agreed to in writing by the
Commissioner and the Director‐General of Conservation.
Capturing the arms items owned by the Department of Conservation (DOC) would provide consistency with the wider firearms
environment.
Currently, employees of DoC who use firearms owned by DoC as part of their employment, are appropriately licensed and endorsed in
the same way as others who use firearms as part of their employment, or for personal use.
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Application of registry‐related regulations to the Crown
Section
3(5) of the Act states that:
The following requirements of the Act
do not apply in relation to any arms items, ammunition, or explosives, or other items regulated
by or under this Act that are owned by the Crown (except to the extent provided by regulations made under section
74):
‑ any requirement to notify or report any event or circumstance to the Police
‑ any requirement to mark any firearm or other item with an identifying marking
‑ any requirement to provide any particulars to the Police for inclusion in the Registry
‑ any requirement to record any particulars, whether in the Registry or elsewhere.
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Executors/administrators of the estate of a deceased person who was in
possession of firearms or a person who has power of attorney for a person
who is in possession of firearms
Regulations require that specified information must be provided to Police for inclusion in the Registry by:
‑ any person who becomes an executor/administrator of the estate of a deceased person who was in possession of arms items
‑ any person who has power of attorney in relation to the property of an incapacitated person who is in possession of arms
items.
This information will include the following:
‑ Upon the death of a licence holder
‑ a photocopy, electronically scanned copy or photograph of the death certificate of the licence holder
‑ the name and bona fides of the executor of administrator (e.g. the letters of administration or probate).
‑ Where the licence holder is incapacitated and there is a power of attorney in relation to property in place, the name and bona
fides of person with power of attorney (e.g. the power of attorney document and the certificate of the power of attorney donor’s
medical incapacity under section
99D of the
Protection and Personal Property Rights Act 1988).
‑ In both cases:
‑ details of any identification markings on the arms items (such as a serial number)
‑ the transfer details of the specified arms item(s)to a licensed dealer or firearms licence holder as required in Schedule B,
Part 4 (1)(a)(i), (i ) and (i i).
The above applies whenever one of these events occurs from 24 June 2023, whether the arms items are already in the registry or not. It
is not uncommon for the situation to arise when a licence holder (and sometimes an ex‐licence holder) who is still in possession of
firearms dies or becomes incapacitated and a person takes responsibility for their property pursuant to a power of attorney.
This regulation creates a process for getting the movement of these firearms recorded in the Registry to a person with the appropriate
licence. It will also enable items that Police may not have been aware of (because they have not yet been recorded in the Registry) be
included in the Registry.
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Security of information
As with all new Police computer systems, the Registry will follow a stringent certification and accreditation process. This will ensure
that privacy protections and security of personal data and information meet or exceed Government security control standards.
All new Police cyber systems are processed through the Certification and Accreditation framework, which is directed from Government
via the Government Communications Security Bureau and Protective Security Requirements.
Access to the Registry, and the use and disclosure of information from it, will be audited to monitor the effectiveness of the privacy
safeguards.
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Accessing information in the Registry
Regulation
45 prescribes when certain persons are entitled to access the Registry (when the Commissioner makes the capability
available). This includes the following people:
a. licence holders to view their own information.
b. This allows them to seek correction if they find their information to be inaccurate and advise any updates to their personal
information or arms items.
c. firearms licence holders, to verify the firearms licence status of a person to whom they are selling or supplying, or from whom
they are acquiring arms items.
d. firearms licence holders selling a pistol, restricted weapon, prohibited firearm, prohibited magazine, or pistol carbine
conversation kit to verify the purchaser’s licence, endorsement and permit to possess.
e. dealer’s licence holders, to verify the firearms licence status of a person to whom they are selling or supplying, or from whom
they are acquiring arms items or ammunition.
f. dealer’s licence holders selling a pistol, restricted weapon, prohibited firearm, prohibited magazine, or pistol carbine
conversation kit to verify the purchaser’s licence, endorsement and permit to possess.
g. dealer’s licence holders, (registered) employees of dealers and ammunition sellers to verify the licence of any person purchasing
ammunition from them.
h. (registered) employees of dealers, to view the dealer’s information relating to details of arms items and to verify the licence,
endorsement and permit of any person when buying or selling arms items on behalf of the dealer,
Note: Current capability of the Arms Information System and Registry may not allow for these functions above to occur until a later
date or may require formal approval for access.
Access to some elements of other people’s licensing information when selling or purchasing specified arms items will be needed to
ensure they are buying or selling those items from and to licence holders. This will minimise the risk of lawfully possessed firearms
being transferred to unlicensed users.
In the event a firearms licence holder believes a person is attempting an unlawful purchase of a firearm (for example, if the purchaser
has ‘no licence’), the firearms licence holder should be directed to submit a report via 105 on the
Police website.
If Te Tari Pūreke receive a concerning report as outlined above, an occurrence or report in NIA should be created and assigned to an
investigating member of Police. In all concerning circumstances Te Tari Pūreke staff members should notify their supervisor or flag the
issue for follow up action.
Police access to registry
Police employees are entitled to access the registry information while acting for the purpose of carrying out the lawful functions of
Police. Police employees require approval to access the Registry ‐ contact the Registry Services Team for any questions regarding
access.
Duration of records in the Registry
Regulation
46 prescribes the minimum period that information is to be retained in the Registry.
Records in the Registry in respect of an individual firearms licence holder must be kept for three years after the lifetime of the licence
holder, even if their licence was no longer in force at the time of their death.
Having records on licence holders for their lifetime is critical for remaining updated with their ongoing suitability to possess and use
firearms. Even if for a long time they are no longer a licence holder or using firearms, either possibility could arise again. A period after
the licence holder’s lifetime is useful for completing reconciliations of firearms they used to possess with the current location of the
firearms.
Privacy of information in the Registry
The information firearms licence holders are required to enter into the Registry will:
‑ link licence holders with arms items in their possession to ensure that only appropriately licensed individuals are in possession
of arms items
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‑ enable firearms licence holders to check whether they are arms items to, or buying them from, other firearms licence holders.
Any information that is entered into the Registry will be subject to the Privacy Act 2020 which ensures that their information is kept
safe and secure and is used and shared appropriately and licence holder (subject to applicable exceptions):
‑ know when their information is being collected
‑ can get access to their information.
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
2
Policy standards and principles
3
What
3
Why
3
How
3
Te Tari Pūreke’s strategic partnership with wider Police
5
Legislative definitions and references
6
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Policy standards and principles
What
The
Arms Act 1983 and
Arms Regulations 1992 are the overarching legislation that governs the possession and use of firearms, airguns,
pistols, prohibited items, restricted weapons, other arms items and ammunition in New Zealand.
New Zealand Police is the lead agency for the Arms Act 1983.
The Arms Act 1983 promotes the safe possession and use of firearms and other weapons and imposes controls on the possession and
use of them. It also specifies that the possession and use of arms is a privilege and that people authorised to import, manufacture,
supply, sell, possess or use firearms have a responsibility to act in the interests of personal and public safety.
A full review of the Arms Act 1983 will take place in 2026 pursuant to section
96 of the Act.
The arms chapters contain the operational policies and good practice guidance in relation to the Arms Act 1983 and Arms Regulations
1992.
Why
New Zealand Police’s vision is to be the safest country and to ensure that everybody can be safe and feel safe.
Following the terrorist attack on the Christchurch mosques on 15 March 2019, significant changes were made to th
e Arms Act 1983
through the
Arms Legislation Act 2020.
A
Royal Commission of Inquiry into the terrorist attack on Christchurch masjidain was also completed in late 2020. The Inquiry made
specific recommendations to create a more efficient and effective risk‐based firearms licensing system.
As a result of these changes, Police applied a regulatory lens to their responsibilities under the Act, and established Te Tari Pūreke ‐
Firearms Safety Authority, a business unit of New Zealand Police.
Police and Te Tari Pūreke implement and give effect to the Arms Act 1983, to promote the safe possession and use of firearms and
other weapons thereby ensuring the personal safety of users of firearms, and the public.
By taking actions under the Act regarding who can access firearms and other weapons, Police and Te Tari Pūreke will keep our
communities safe; and will keep Police staff (and staff of other government agencies) safe while performing their duties.
In its role as the regulator, Te Tari Pūreke will enable fit and proper people to legitimately possess and use firearms in New Zealand
and will seek to protect the public from the harm that may be caused by the misuse of firearms.
How
Te Tari Pūreke has four core functions:
‑ to effectively implement the firearms licensing system
‑ to manage the firearms registry
‑ to educate people to enable compliance with legislative responsibilities
‑ to promote the legitimate and safe use of firearms.
Te Tari Pūreke is responsible for regulating the following activities and areas:
‑ Legitimate possession of arms items
‑ Importation of arms items
‑ Sale or supply of arms items
‑ Purchase or transfer of arms items
‑ Transportation of arms items
‑ Storage of arms items
‑ Use of arms items
‑ Exportation of arms items
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Arms Introduction
‑ Shooting clubs and ranges
‑ Manufacturing or modification of firearms
To meet its objectives and obligations Police and Te Tari Pūreke will:
‑ ensure those who are issued a firearms licence, endorsement, or dealer’s licence are fit and proper to hold such a licence or
endorsement, by carrying out thorough vetting
‑ target every opportunity to reduce and prevent harmful use of firearms and other arms items
‑ provide firearms safe‐handling training of a consistently high standard to licence applicants and licence holders
‑ maintain regular and consistent monitoring of all licence holders, including dealers, to ensure that they remain fit and proper,
and that their possession of arms items is legitimate
‑ maintain regular and consistent monitoring of shooting clubs and shooting ranges
‑ ensure that all arms items are stored securely in accordance with the Arms Regulations 1992 and Police guidance, through a
regular programme of monitoring licence holders and their premises
‑ consistently carry out the ‘4 Es’ regulatory approach of Te Tari Pūreke (engage, educate, encourage, enforce)
‑ issue permits to possess, permits to import, mail order forms and other permissions only to applicants who satisfy the
requirements of the Act and Regulations
‑ monitor and account for the firearms holdings held by the New Zealand community by:
1. proactively managing the Registry
2. conducting inspections of firearms and firearms security
3. monitoring the issuing of permits to import and permits to possess
4. monitoring the transfer of firearms or arms items by mail order or over the internet
5. reducing the holding of firearms by facilitating the surrender and destruction of unsafe or unwanted firearms
‑ carry out enforcement functions of the Arms Act 1983 in relation to criminal activity (Police).
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Te Tari Pūreke’s strategic partnership with wider Police
Te Tari Pūreke and wider Police (constabulary and other groups within Police) share a responsibility in mitigating risk in our
community.
While Te Tari Pūreke delivers the regulatory functions under the Act as a business unit of Police, it collaborates closely with the wider
Police, which remains a vital part of the firearms regulatory framework.
Te Tari Pūreke will ensure that wider Police have the information and insights on licence holders and arms items to strengthen
investigations and intelligence. In return Police will ensure that Te Tari Pūreke has access to important information and intelligence
gathered during their duties.
Police remains responsible for managing criminal matters with respect to firearms.
Together Police and Te Tari Pūreke seek to continuously improve their collaborative approach to the firearms regulatory environment.
Te Tari Pūreke are developing Service Level Agreements in consultation with wider Police. These will be published in Police
Instructions at a later date.
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Legislative definitions and references
Legislative definitions and references are used throughout the arms chapters and can be found in the relevant arms legislations:
‑
Arms Act 1983
‑
Arms Regulations 1992
‑
Arms (Restricted Weapons and Specially Dangerous Airguns) Order 1984
‑
Arms (Prohibited Ammunition) Order 2019
‑
Arms (Prohibited Magazine) Order 2019
Other relevant legislations:
‑
Anti‐Personnel Mines Prohibition Act 1998
‑
Biosecurity Act 1993
‑
Cluster Munitions Prohibition Act 2009
‑
Conservation Act 1987
‑
Crimes Act 1961
‑
Customs Import Prohibition (Offensive Weapons) Order 2021
‑
Domestic Violence Act 1995
‑
Family Violence Act 2018
‑
Game Animal Council Act 2013
‑
Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996
‑
Land Transport (Road User) Rule 2004
‑
Misuse of Drugs Act 1975
‑
Search and Surveillance Act 2012
‑
Sentencing Act 2002
‑
Trespass Act 1980
‑
Wild Animal Control Act 1977
‑
Wildlife Act 1953
The arms legislation refers to Police and members of Police. In these arms chapters, ‘Police’ will be referred to for consistency with the
legislation, noting however that most of the regulatory functions, processes and responsibilities under the arms legislations are
carried out by Te Tari Pūreke staff.
Certain constabulary matters or delegated authorities in these chapters will be specified throughout.
For further information on Police Firearms and Police’s possession of firearms, see the following Police Instructions:
‑
Police Firearms
‑
Non‐Police firearms security management
‑
Destruction of non‐Police firearms
‑
Firearms evidence
‑
Armoury
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