Find out what an endorsement allows you to do, who can apply and what you need to provide in your application.

Firearms Registry requirements apply from 24 June 2023

If you’re applying for or renewing a firearms licence or endorsement from 24 June 2023, you must register all items in your possession within 30 days of submission, including those you have a permit for. 

This does not apply if you submitted your application before 24 June 2023. 

Firearms Registry

When you need an endorsement

You must apply for an endorsement to use prohibited items in your pest control work: 

You cannot use pistols or restricted weapons for pest control work. 

When you have an endorsement, you are eligible to apply for a permit 

Once you have an endorsement, you are eligible to apply for a permit to import or possess prohibited arms items or their parts. 

Permits

Who is eligible to apply

To apply for an endorsement for pest control work, you must:  

  • be aged 18 or over 
  • have a New Zealand firearms licence, or be applying for one. 

And one of the following must apply to you. 

  • You are a person who is employed or engaged by the Department of Conservation and involved in operations for the purpose of controlling wild animals or animal pests in accordance with a specified Act (subject to prescribed limits, if any). 
  • You are a person who is the holder of a concession granted by the Minister of Conservation to undertake wild animal recovery operations in accordance with a specified Act (subject to prescribed limits, if any). 
  • You are a person who is employed or engaged by a management agency as defined in section 100 of the Biosecurity Act 1993 and involved in operations for the purpose of controlling wild animals or animal pests in accordance with that Act (subject to prescribed limits, if any).
  • You are a person whose sole business, or a substantial part of whose business, is providing services to control any prescribed wild animals or animal pests, or a person employed or engaged by that person for that purpose (subject to prescribed limits, if any).
  • You are a person who is the owner or manager, or is an employee, of an agricultural, a horticultural, or a silvicultural business, if there is a real possibility that the commercial viability of the business would be detrimentally affected to a significant extent by the presence of prescribed wild animals or animal pests on any land used for that business (subject to prescribed limits, if any). 

Relevant legislation: 

How long an endorsement lasts

This endorsement lasts for 2 years and 6 months, or until: 

  • your firearms licence expires or is surrendered or revoked 
  • your endorsement is surrendered or revoked. 

Information you need to provide in your application

When you apply for an endorsement, you need to provide the following information. 

Reasons

You must explain why you cannot use a non-prohibited firearm or non-prohibited magazine to control wild animals or animal pests.

You will be asked for information to help determine whether you have a genuine need to possess prohibited firearms and prohibited magazines. 

Security arrangements

You must provide the address where items are stored and describe your secure storage arrangements.

Your security arrangements will also be inspected. 

Referee details

You must provide 3 endorsement referees.

Referee 1 must be:

  • your spouse/partner or next of kin (they do not have to have a firearms licence).

Referee 2 must be:

  • knowledgeable about wild animal recovery or animal pest control
  • know and understand your activities, interest, and experience in wild animal recovery or animal pest control.

Referee 2 should also have a current pest control prohibited firearm endorsement, and not be your employee.

Referee 3 must:

  • be 20 years or older
  • know you well (but not related to you)
  • demonstrate long-term experience with firearms. 

If you are a pest control business owner or the owner/manager of an agricultural, horticultural or silvicultural business

You must also provide information about your business, including:

  • a letter from your accountant confirming the percentage of your income that comes from pest control and the regions you work in
  • your business's animal pest control operations
  • why you must use prohibited firearms for this work
  • your management and development of employees and contractors – their training, testing, health and safety, and security.
  • documentary evidence of pest control engagements and operations such as contracts, invoices, concessions with the agency, authority or client. 

If you are an employee or contractor of a pest control business

You must also provide information about:  

  • your animal pest control or wild animal recovery activities  
  • why you must use prohibited firearms for this work.

Your employer must read and sign your application form. 

A photo – if you are applying only for an endorsement 

If you are only applying for an endorsement, and not a licence, you must provide a photo.

You must supply a recent, good quality digital photograph that is a good likeness of yourself. A scanned copy of a photograph will not be accepted.

The photograph must meet the minimum requirements as set out in Regulation 30 of the Arms Regulations 1992. Passport photos from commercial outlets will typically meet these requirements.

This means the photograph must:

  • have been taken within the last 12 months   
  • be a full front view of your face – chin to forehead and both sides of your face  
  • show head and shoulders, with the head filling most of the photograph  
  • be of you without a hat or head covering (except where your religion requires you to wear a hat or head covering)  
  • have a plain, light-coloured background  
  • be in colour and in focus  
  • be in portrait format (with a 4:3 aspect ratio)  
  • be in JPG or JPEG format  
  • be between 25KB and 10MB  
  • be between 900 and 4500 pixels wide and 1200 and 6000 pixels high.  


We will not accept photographs that do not meet these standards.

You may have to answer the same questions as when you applied for a firearms licence. We ask these questions again to make sure we have the latest information when we review your application. 

Related links

 

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