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Arms Bill

Licences and approvals - Expiry, surrender, suspension, and revocation of licences - Offences relating to expiry, surrender, and revocation of licences

168: Offence to carry on business activities after expiry, surrender, or revocation of business licence

You could also call this:

"Breaking the law by running a firearms business without a valid licence"

If your business licence expires, is surrendered, or revoked, you may not carry on any business activities or have any business interest in arms items. You must stop all business activities if your licence is no longer valid. If you break this rule without a good reason, you could be fined up to $40,000 or imprisoned for up to 3 years.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=LMS1533794.

This page was last updated on 8 December 2025 — View changes

Topics:

Business > Industry rulesCrime and justice > Criminal law

167: Offence to fail to deliver arms items and ammunition following expiry, surrender, suspension, or revocation of firearms licence or visitor licence, or

"What happens if you don't hand in your guns when your licence ends"

169: Offence for curator to possess, display, or store arms item following expiry, surrender, or revocation of licence, or

"Curators can't keep certain arms items if their licence is no longer valid."

Part 3Licences and approvals
Expiry, surrender, suspension, and revocation of licences: Offences relating to expiry, surrender, and revocation of licences

168Offence to carry on business activities after expiry, surrender, or revocation of business licence

If the business licence of an individual has expired, or has been surrendered or revoked, the individual may not—
carry on any business activity; or
have any business interest in any arms items.

If the business licence of a senior manager of a body corporate has expired, or has been surrendered or revoked, the body corporate may not carry on any business activity.
However,—
nothing in subsection (1) applies to an individual who—
1. sells or otherwise disposes of any of the kinds of items specified in section 163 in accordance with that section; or
2. after the expiry, surrender, or revocation of their business licence is, at any subsequent time, issued with another business licence to carry on 1 or more business activities; and
nothing in subsection (2) applies to a body corporate—
1. that sells or otherwise disposes of any of the kinds of items specified in section 163 in accordance with that section; or
2. if, after the expiry, surrender, or revocation of the senior manager’s licence, the senior manager is, at any subsequent time, issued with another business licence that authorises the body corporate to carry on 1 or more business activities; or
3. if another senior manager of the body corporate is issued with a business licence that authorises the body corporate to carry on 1 or more business activities.

An individual whose business licence has expired, or has been surrendered or revoked, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 years, or to a fine not exceeding $40,000, if the individual, without reasonable excuse, contravenes subsection (1).
A senior manager of a body corporate whose business licence has expired, or has been surrendered or revoked, is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 years, or to a fine not exceeding $40,000, if the body corporate, without reasonable excuse, contravenes subsection (2).