Arms Act 1983

General restrictions - Restrictions on sale or supply of ammunition

22E: Ammunition seller to keep record of ammunition sales

You could also call this:

"Ammunition sellers must keep a record of who they sell to and what they sell."

If you sell ammunition, you must keep a book at your workplace. You must write down the name of the person you sell ammunition to, the type and amount of ammunition, and their firearms licence number. You must also write down the name and licence number of the person supervising them if they do not have a licence. If you sell ammunition, you might not have to write down these details if the rules say you do not have to, or if you give the details to the Police. You must let the Police look at your book if they ask to, as long as they give you at least 7 days' notice. You must keep your book for at least 10 years, either on paper or electronically. If you stop selling ammunition or your licence expires, you must give your records to the Police. If you do not follow these rules, you can get a fine of up to $10,000.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=LMS440371.

This page was last updated on 27 January 2026 — View changes

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22D: Restrictions on selling or supplying ammunition, or

"Rules for selling or giving ammunition to others"

22F: Visitors may not take ownership of firearm or restricted weapon, or

"Visitors can't keep guns or restricted weapons in New Zealand"

Part 4General restrictions
Restrictions on sale or supply of ammunition

22EAmmunition seller to keep record of ammunition sales

An ammunition seller must keep at their place of business a book that records the following details in respect of all ammunition (other than projectiles for airguns) sold or supplied in the course of their business:
the name of the person to whom the ammunition was sold or supplied; and
the quantity and type of ammunition sold or supplied to the person; and
the person’s firearms licence number, or, if the ammunition was sold or supplied to the person for use under the immediate supervision of another person who holds a firearms licence, the name and firearms licence number of that other person.

Despite subsection (1), an ammunition seller need not record details under that subsection if—
the details are declared by regulations made under section 74 to be exempt from the requirement in that subsection; or
the dealer provides the details to the Police for inclusion in the registry in accordance with the regulations.

An ammunition seller must, at all reasonable times, permit any member of the Police to inspect and make copies of any entries in the book referred to in subsection (1) if the ammunition seller has received at least 7 days’ prior notice of the member’s intention to do so.
An ammunition seller who keeps their book under subsection (1) in hard copy form must retain the book for at least 10 years from the date of the last entry in the book.
An ammunition seller who keeps their book under subsection (1) electronically must retain each electronic record for at least 10 years from the date on which the record is entered.
When an ammunition seller’s firearms licence expires or is revoked or surrendered, or the ammunition seller ceases selling or supplying ammunition, the ammunition seller must immediately surrender to the Police all records they are required by this section to keep that have not been included in the registry.
An ammunition seller commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $10,000 if the ammunition seller, without reasonable excuse, contravenes any of subsections (1) to (6).

Notes

Section 22E: inserted, on 24 December 2020, by section 37 of the Arms Legislation Act 2020 (2020 No 23).