2Interpretation

1. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—

   airgun includes—

   1. any air rifle; and
   2. any air pistol; and
   3. any weapon from which, by the use of gas or compressed air (and not by force of explosive), any shot, bullet, missile, or other projectile can be discharged

   air pistol carbine conversion kit—

   1. means a frame or kit that may be used to convert an air pistol that is designed or adapted to be held and fired with 1 hand into an airgun that may be fired from the shoulder; but
   2. does not include a pistol carbine conversion kit

   ammunition seller—

   1. means a person who is responsible for the day-to-day management of a business that includes selling or supplying ammunition; but
   2. does not include—
      1. a licensed dealer; and
      2. a member of a shooting club, if the member sells ammunition—
         1. to a club member, or on club premises, with the approval of the management committee of the club or a majority vote of club members; and
         2. the sales revenue is used for the benefit of the club

   anti-personnel mine has the meaning given to it by section 3 of the Anti-Personnel Mines Prohibition Act 1998

   antique firearm—

   1. means—
      1. any firearm that—
         1. is held in the possession of any person solely as an antique (but not as a copy or replica of an antique); and
         2. is not designed for firing, and is not capable of firing, rimfire or centrefire cartridge ammunition; or
      2. any firearm declared by regulations made under this Act to be an antique firearm for the purposes of this Act; but
   2. does not include any firearm manufactured after 1899

   arms item means an item of any of the following classes:

   1. firearms (including prohibited firearms):
   2. magazines (including prohibited magazines):
   3. parts (including prohibited parts):
   4. airguns:
   5. pistols:
   6. restricted weapons:
   7. pistol carbine conversion kits

   blank-firing gun—

   1. means anything that—
      1. has the shape of a firearm or restricted weapon, or otherwise resembles a firearm or restricted weapon; and
      2. is capable of firing blank cartridges, but incapable of discharging any shot, bullet, missile, or other projectile; and
   2. includes a starting pistol that fires a blank cartridge or a cap

   cluster munition has the meaning given to it by section 6 of the Cluster Munitions Prohibition Act 2009

   Commissioner means the Commissioner of Police

   Customs officer has the meaning given in section 5(1) of the Customs and Excise Act 2018

   dealer activity means any activity of a kind specified in section 5(1)

   exempt person means a person listed in section 4A(1) or described in section 4A(1A), (1B), or (1C)

   explosive—

   1. means any substance or mixture or combination of substances which in its normal state is capable either of decomposition at such rapid rate as to result in an explosion or of producing a pyrotechnic effect; and
   2. without limiting paragraph (a), includes gunpowder, nitroglycerine, dynamite, gun-cotton, blasting powder, fulminate of mercury or of other metals, coloured flares, fog signals, fuses, rockets, percussion caps, detonators, cartridges, and ammunition of all descriptions; and
   3. without limiting paragraph (a) or paragraph (b), includes any device, contrivance, or article, which uses any substance or mixture or combination of substances to which paragraph (a) or paragraph (b) applies as an integral part of it for the purposes of producing an explosion or a ballistic or pyrotechnic effect; but does not include a firearm; and
   4. does not include any firework as defined in section 2 of the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996

   firearm—

   1. means anything from which any shot, bullet, missile, or other projectile can be discharged by force of explosive; and
   2. includes—
      1. anything that has been adapted so that it can be used to discharge a shot, bullet, missile, or other projectile by force of explosive; and
      2. anything which is not for the time being capable of discharging any shot, bullet, missile, or other projectile but which, by its completion or the replacement of any component part or parts or the correction or repair of any defect or defects, would be a firearm within the meaning of paragraph (a) or subparagraph (i); and
      3. anything (being a firearm within the meaning of paragraph (a) or subparagraph (i)) which is for the time being dismantled or partially dismantled; and
      4. any specially dangerous airgun

   firearms licence means a firearms licence issued under section 24

   firearms prohibition order or FPO means an order made against a person by a court under section 39A

   gang has the meaning given to it by section 4 of the Gangs Act 2024

   health practitioner means a health practitioner registered with the Medical Council of New Zealand, a nurse practitioner registered with the Nursing Council of New Zealand, a psychologist registered with the New Zealand Psychologists Board, or a duly authorised officer under the Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act 1992

   imitation firearm means anything that has the appearance of being a firearm capable of discharging any shot, bullet, missile, or other projectile, whether or not it is capable of discharging any shot, bullet, missile, or other projectile

   improvement notice means a notice issued under section 60

   kea gun means a single shot pistol that is chambered for a .410 inch shot cartridge

   licensed dealer means a holder of a dealer's licence issued under this Act

   manufacture, in relation to an item, includes the assembly of that item

   member of the Police means a Police employee within the meaning of section 4 of the Policing Act 2008

   non-pistol shooting club has the meaning given in section 38A

   non-pistol shooting range has the meaning given in section 38A

   non-prohibited ammunition means ammunition that is not prohibited ammunition

   non-prohibited firearm means a firearm that is not—

   1. a prohibited firearm; or
   2. a pistol; or
   3. a restricted weapon

   non-prohibited magazine means a magazine that is not a prohibited magazine

   non-prohibited part means a part that is not a prohibited part

   organised criminal group has the meaning given to it by section 98A of the Crimes Act 1961

   part, in relation to any firearm or restricted weapon,—

   1. means—
      1. any component that, of itself, is essential to the discharge of any shot, bullet, missile, or other projectile from the firearm or restricted weapon; and
      2. any component that is exclusively designed to be, or is intended to be, an integral part of the firearm or restricted weapon (for example, a butt, stock, magazine, or other component that feeds or contributes to feeding ammunition to the firearm or restricted weapon); and
   2. includes the following components or accessories that can be fitted to, or adapted to fit, a firearm or restricted weapon:
      1. grips:
      2. frames:
      3. chassis systems:
      4. magazine adapters:
      5. magazine couplers:
      6. magazine loaders:
      7. flash suppressors:
      8. silencers:
      9. folding or telescoping stocks; but
   3. does not include the following:
      1. pistol carbine conversion kits:
      2. air pistol carbine conversion kits

   pistol means a firearm (other than a prohibited firearm or restricted weapon) that is designed or adapted to be held and fired with 1 hand, and includes any firearm (other than a prohibited firearm or restricted weapon) that is less than 762 millimetres in length

   pistol carbine conversion kit—

   1. means a frame or kit that may be used to convert a pistol (not being an air pistol) that is designed or adapted to be held and fired with 1 hand and that has an overall length of no more than 400 millimetres into a firearm that may be fired from the shoulder; and
   2. includes a frame or kit described in paragraph (a) that is also capable of being used as an air pistol carbine conversion kit

   pistol shooting club has the meaning given in section 38A

   pistol shooting range has the meaning given in section 38A

   prohibited ammunition has the meaning given in section 2D

   prohibited firearm has the meaning given in section 2A

   prohibited item means a prohibited firearm, a prohibited magazine, a prohibited part, or any or all of those things, as the case requires

   prohibited magazine has the meaning given in section 2B

   prohibited part has the meaning given in section 2C

   public place has the meaning given to it by section 2 of the Summary Offences Act 1981

   range operator has the meaning given in section 38A

   registry means the registry kept and operated under section 93

   responsible Minister means the Minister of the Crown who, under the authority of any warrant or with the authority of the Prime Minister, is responsible for the administration of this Act

   restricted airgun means an airgun that,—

   1. without any of the attachments with which it is customarily used, has the appearance of being a pistol, prohibited firearm, or restricted weapon; or
   2. with some or all of the attachments with which it is customarily used, has the appearance of being a pistol, prohibited firearm, or restricted weapon; or
   3. is designed for use in airsoft or paintball sports and,—
      1. without any of the attachments with which it is customarily used, has the appearance of being a firearm capable of full automatic fire; or
      2. with some or all of the attachments with which it is customarily used, has the appearance of being a firearm capable of full automatic fire

   restricted weapon means any weapon, whether a firearm or not, declared by the Governor-General, by Order in Council made under section 4, to be a restricted weapon

   sale includes—

   1. barter; and
   2. offering or attempting to sell, or having in possession for sale, or exposing for sale, or sending or delivering for sale, or causing or allowing to be sold, offered, or exposed for sale; and to sell has a corresponding meaning

   semi-automatic firearm means a firearm that (if it is loaded), with each pull of the trigger,—

   1. fires a cartridge and ejects its case; and
   2. (unless all cartridges loaded have been fired) chambers another cartridge

   semi-automatic pistol means a firearm that is designed or adapted to be held and fired with 1 hand, including any firearm that is less than 762 millimetres in length and that when loaded, with each pull of the trigger,—

   1. fires a cartridge and ejects the cartridge case; and
   2. automatically loads another cartridge in the firearm’s chamber (unless all loaded cartridges have been fired)

   senior manager, in relation to a body corporate, means a person who occupies a position that allows the person to exercise significant influence over the management or administration of the body corporate (for example, a chief executive)

   shooting club means a pistol shooting club or non-pistol shooting club

   shooting range means a pistol shooting range or a non-pistol shooting range

   small semi-automatic pistol means a semi-automatic pistol that—

   1. has an overall length of 400 millimetres or less, excluding any silencer, pistol carbine conversion kit, or other muzzle-fitting attachment; and
   2. has a barrel length of 101 millimetres or more; and
   3. is capable of firing specified ammunition only at a muzzle velocity of 1,600 feet per second or less; and
   4. is suitable for shooting on a certified pistol range

   specially dangerous airgun means any airgun declared by the Governor-General, by Order in Council made under section 4, to be a specially dangerous airgun

   specified ammunition means ammunition of a type specified in the rules of the pistol target shooting disciplines that are administered by the national pistol target shooting controlling body known as Pistol New Zealand Incorporated and that are conducted on ranges approved by the Commissioner

   theatrical armourer means a person who holds a firearms licence or dealer’s licence that bears a current endorsement under section 30(1)(c) or 30B(3) allowing them to possess, use, or supervise the use of any of the following items in making a broadcast or in theatrical, cinematic, television film, or video recording productions:

   1. firearms:
   2. prohibited magazines:
   3. restricted weapons

   visitor means a visitor to New Zealand who intends to be in New Zealand for less than 1 year

   working day means any day of the week other than—

   1. a Saturday, a Sunday, Waitangi Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Anzac Day, the Sovereign’s birthday, Te Rā Aro ki a Matariki/Matariki Observance Day, and Labour Day; and
   2. if Waitangi Day or Anzac Day falls on a Saturday or a Sunday, the following Monday; and
   3. a day in the period commencing with 25 December in any year and ending with 15 January in the following year.

2. For the purposes of the definition of restricted airgun in subsection (1), an airgun can have the appearance of a pistol, restricted weapon, prohibited firearm, or firearm capable of full automatic fire without having the appearance of any particular model of pistol, restricted weapon, prohibited firearm, or firearm capable of full automatic fire.