Changes for individual licence holders

Under the Arms Act 2026, a new Firearms Licensing Review Committee has been established to review decisions made by Firearms Safety and Education New Zealand related to:

• declining to issue a firearms licence on an application made
• imposing a condition on a firearms licence under section
• revoking a firearms licence

The Firearms Licensing Review Committee is made up of a Chair and other members. Committee members are appointed by the Minister, on the advice of the Ministry of Justice, for terms of up to five years. Members may be reappointed. To carry out its functions, the Committee sits in panels of three members.

Having an independent review process is intended to increase trust in the system and reduce the number of appeals reaching the courts, reducing the significant costs individuals can face when appealing decisions through the courts.

For more information, see Related licensing information

A person may apply for a review of a decision made by Firearms Safety and Education New Zealand. After reviewing the decision, the newly established Firearms Licensing Review Committee will notify the applicant of its decision.

Under the new Arms Act, the original decision will remain in place until five working days after the applicant has been notified of the Firearms Licensing Review Committee's decision.

This gives both the applicant and the regulator time to consider whether to appeal and allows any necessary administrative processes to take place.

What if you’ve already applied for a review of a licence refusal or revocation?

If you applied for a review before 23 September 2026 and a decision has not yet been made, your application will be transferred to the Firearms Licensing Review Committee for a decision.

If you applied for a review before 23 September 2026 and your licence was refused or revoked, you can still appeal the decision to the District Court under the Arms Act 1983 provisions.

Other decisions made under the Arms Act 1983 that do not require a review can also be appealed to the District Court under the Arms Act 2026.

For more information about your licence, see Related licensing information

Read more about the Reviews of firearms licensing decisions 

Under the Arms Act 2026, you must have a firearms licence before importing or purchasing a blank-firing gun.

If you already own one of these guns and do not have a firearms licence, you can keep it. However, you can only sell or transfer it to someone who holds a valid firearms licence.

Read more about Importing firearms and other items

Check in the Arms Act 2026, the Requirement for possession of blank-firing gun

Under the Arms Act 2026, licence holders wanting to manufacture pistols, restricted weapons or pistol carbine conversion kits, must obtain an approved permit to possess before they can manufacture. 

This change reduces the risk of investing resources in items they may not be permitted to possess. Previously, a permit to possess did not need to be obtained until the manufacturing process was nearing completion. 

Read more about Export, import or manufacture arms items

Check in the Arms Act 2026, the Requirement for manufacture of certain arms items by firearms licence holders 

Under the Arms Act 2026, if a licensed firearms owner manufactures a firearm or firearm part for personal use, it can only be sold through a business licence holder.

This change helps improve public safety by preventing unsafe items from entering circulation. It closes a loophole that allowed items originally manufactured for personal use to be sold later without regulatory oversight or quality assurance.

Read more about Export, import or manufacture arms items

Check in the Arms Act 2026, the Requirement for selling or supplying arms item manufactured for personal use by firearms licence holder

Under the Arms Act 2026, any person identified as a gang member is disqualified from holding a firearms licence.

A person with close affiliations to a gang or organised criminal group may not be considered fit and proper to hold a firearms licence.

See more information about Persons disqualified from holding firearms licence

For more information about a firearms licence, see Before you apply

From 23 February 2028, licence holders who need to renew their licences urgently for international travel, and have a valid reason (for example, to participate in an international shooting or hunting competition), will be able to apply for an urgent renewal process.

This change will enable faster decisions for individuals with a legitimate need and support responsible firearms users to comply with the law, particularly during periods of high demand when licence renewal processing times may be longer.

For more information about a firearms licence, see Before you apply

Read more about Priority applications by persons travelling overseas to participate in international activities in the Arms Act 2026.

From 23 February 2028, the suspension period for a firearms licence due to mental health reasons will be extended to 12 months.

Previously, suspensions were limited to three months, a period that was often insufficient to obtain medical reports or implement appropriate mitigations.

Extending the suspension period will provide greater flexibility and ensure licence holders have sufficient time to seek medical advice and address any concerns, while maintaining public safety. 

For more information, see Related licensing information

Read more about Mental health and wellbeing of firearms licence holders

Check in the Arms Act 2026 When licence may be suspended