New Zealand's Firearms Registry: What You Must Record and By When

New Zealand's Firearms Registry requires every licence holder to record the firearms and other arms items they possess with Te Tari Pūreke, the Firearms Safety Authority. Existing licence holders have a transition window to get everything on record, but certain events, like buying or selling a firearm, shorten that window to 30 days.

This is general information about New Zealand law, not legal advice. For your own situation, consult a lawyer or contact Te Tari Pūreke - Firearms Safety Authority directly.

What the firearms registry is

Te Tari Pūreke - Firearms Safety Authority is New Zealand's firearms regulator, a branded business unit within Police that took over firearms administration from general Police functions. It was launched on 30 November 2022. As part of that work, Te Tari Pūreke built and now runs the Firearms Registry, an online system that records which arms items a licence holder possesses, so that both the licence holder and Police have an up to date record.

The Registry went live on 24 June 2023 under the Arms Amendment Regulations 2023, made under the Arms Act 1983. It is separate from the firearms licence itself. Holding a valid licence is still what allows you to lawfully possess and use firearms; the Registry is the record of what you actually hold.

What counts as an "arms item" you must register

The Registry covers what the regulations call "arms items." This includes ordinary firearms (including some airguns), prohibited firearms and prohibited magazines, pistols, restricted weapons, major firearm parts that are not built into a complete firearm, and pistol carbine conversion kits.

Antique firearms are excluded from the registration requirement. To qualify as an antique for this purpose, a firearm generally has to be held solely as an antique, not as a copy or replica, and either be incapable of firing rimfire or centrefire cartridge ammunition, or otherwise meet the regulatory definition of an antique. As a general guide, a firearm manufactured after 1899 does not qualify as an antique.

The transition window: registering by 31 August 2028

Licence holders who already held a firearms licence when the Registry went live do not have to record every item they own all at once. They have a transition window to work through their existing arms items. As things currently stand, if none of the activating circumstances below applies first, licence holders need to have their arms items recorded in the Registry by 31 August 2028.

This transition window only covers items you already held before an activating circumstance occurs. Once an activating circumstance applies to a particular item or to your licence, the shorter timeframes described below take over for that item, rather than waiting for the general 2028 deadline.

The general deadline to record existing firearms in the Registry is 31 August 2028, unless an activating circumstance requires a firearm to be registered sooner. Because firearms rules change, check the current position on firearmssafetyauthority.govt.nz.

Activating circumstances: the 30-day rule

Certain events, called activating circumstances, require you to engage with the Registry well before the general transition deadline. The main ones are:

• Applying for a firearms licence or an endorsement, which generally needs to be reflected in the Registry within 30 days of the application.
• Buying an arms item, which generally has to be recorded as soon as practicable, and within 30 days.
• Selling or supplying an arms item, which is expected to be recorded at the time of the sale or supply, or immediately after.
• Importing an arms item, or importing ammunition, which generally needs to be recorded within 30 days of the item being released by New Zealand Customs.
• Changes to your recorded details, such as your name, address, contact details, or the expiry of your licence or an endorsement.

In short, if you buy, sell, or otherwise deal with a firearm or other arms item, do not wait for the general transition deadline. Treat the transaction as requiring a Registry update within 30 days.

Faster timeframes: loss, theft, export and destruction

A small number of events move faster than the general 30-day rule. If a firearm or other arms item is lost or stolen, you generally need to report that to the Registry as soon as you know it has happened, not within 30 days. Exporting, manufacturing, or destroying an arms item generally needs to be recorded within 5 days.

How to register

Registration is done online through Te Tari Pūreke's Firearms Registry system, using the same login licence holders use for their firearms licence account. Te Tari Pūreke publishes step by step guidance on how to register or update information, and offers help for licence holders who need assistance completing an entry.

Related New Zealand everyday law

For more everyday legal topics affecting New Zealanders, see the New Zealand everyday law section.