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Arms Bill

Miscellaneous provisions - Other miscellaneous provisions

375: Obligations of owner or operator of craft temporarily visiting New Zealand and carrying arms items

You could also call this:

"Rules for boat owners visiting New Zealand with guns or ammo on board"

Illustration for Arms Bill

If you own or operate a boat that visits New Zealand from another country, you must follow some rules. You need to tell the New Zealand Customs Service about any arms items on your boat when you arrive. This information must be included in a notice or report that you give to the Customs Service, as required by the Customs and Excise Act 2018. You must also store your arms items safely and follow any directions given by the Customs Service or the Police. If you do not follow these directions, the Police or Customs Service can board your boat and take your arms items. They can use force if necessary to take the items. The law defines some important words, such as 'arms items', which includes guns and ammunition. It also defines 'craft', 'operator', and 'owner', which have the same meanings as in the Customs and Excise Act 2018. You can find these definitions in section 5(1) of the Customs and Excise Act 2018.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=LMS1534115.

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Topics:
Transport and travel > BoatingCrime and justice > Police and safety
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Part 8Miscellaneous provisions
Other miscellaneous provisions

375Obligations of owner or operator of craft temporarily visiting New Zealand and carrying arms items

  1. If a craft arriving from a foreign country is, at any time, temporarily berthed, moored, or anchored in any harbour or territorial waters of New Zealand, and has on board any arms items that are not being offloaded, the owner or operator of the craft must—

  2. include details of all arms items on board the craft—
    1. in an advance notice of arrival that is required to be provided to the New Zealand Customs Service under section 12 of the Customs and Excise Act 2018; or
      1. in an inward report that is required to be provided to the New Zealand Customs Service under section 24 of the Customs and Excise Act 2018; and
      2. comply with any directions given by the New Zealand Customs Service or a member of the Police relating to the secure storage of those arms items, which may include a direction that the arms items be temporarily surrendered to a member of the Police or a Customs officer.

        1. If the owner or operator of a craft does not comply with any direction given under subsection (1)(b), a member of the Police or a Customs officer may—

        2. board the craft; and
          1. seize and detain the arms items; and
            1. in effecting the seizure and detention of the arms items, use any reasonably necessary force.

              1. In this section,—

                arms items means any standard firearms, pistols, restricted airguns, restricted items, restricted weapons, pistol carbine conversion kits, or ammunition

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

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

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