Proactive release of papers regarding the Firearms Registry and Arms Safety and Control

In 2020, a number of changes were made to the Arms Act 1983 through the Arms Legislation Act 2020 to strengthen the control and regulation of firearms in New Zealand.

These changes provide for the establishment of a registry to store and link information on all firearms and other arms items and their licence holders. This will enable greater and more centralised oversight of the number and location of firearms and other arms items in New Zealand.

The following papers were provided to the Minister of Police to update him regarding Police’s delivery of the registry and to provide broader updates around Police’s wider firearms work programme.

Key to sections of the Official Information Act 1982 under which information has been withheld.

Certain information in the document has been withheld under one or more of the following sections of the Official Information Act 1982:

• Information is withheld under section 9(2)(a) to protect the privacy of natural persons.
• Information is withheld under section 9(2)(f)(iv) where the withholding of the information is necessary to maintain the constitutional conventions for the time being which protect the confidentiality of advice tendered by Ministers of the Crown and officials.
• Information is withheld under section 9(2)(g)(i) where the withholding of the information is necessary to maintain the effective conduct of public affairs through the free and frank expression of opinions by or between or to Ministers of the Crown or members of an organisation or officers and employees of any public service agency or organisation in the course of their duty.