On 1 February 2022, the Arms Amendment Regulations 2021 came into force and caused the Arms Regulations 1992 to be updated.

Changes to regulations improve the regulatory oversight of the full range of dealer activities, strengthen rules for the secure storage and carriage of firearms and ammunition, and support the vetting process for firearms licence applicants.

The changes to the Arms Regulations:

• enhance regulation across all dealer activities including, information to be provided by dealers, record keeping, and the setting of licence conditions, in accordance with the particular activities that a dealer is authorised to engage in,
• specify additional information required to support New Zealand’s firearms licence application process including details from applicants about overseas next of kin (where there is no next of kin in New Zealand), countries stayed in for 14 days or more over the previous 5 years, and in cases of applicants staying in countries for over 6 months during the previous 10 years the provision of foreign Police criminal history checks,
• strengthen and clarify the rules for the secure storage and carriage of firearms and ammunition for all licence holders,
• require people who intend to be ammunition sellers to notify Police,
• require identification marking for a wider range of arms items.

Note: The Arms Regulations 1992 will be updated with the amendments in the coming weeks. To view the specific changes to the regulations refer to the Arms Amendment Regulations 2021.