Source: New Zealand Police
For the first time New Zealand is starting to see exactly how many and the types of lawfully held firearms in our communities.
New Zealand’s Firearms Registry began operating on 24 June 2023, and as it marks its third anniversary, nearly two thirds of all licence holders (63%) are in the Registry. Latest data* shows 138,115 licence holders are registered from a total population of 219,955 licence holders.
They have collectively registered 683,435 firearms, and a further 18,675 parts. On average each licence holder has registered five firearms. At this current rate, New Zealand will have 1.1 million lawful firearms in its Registry by mid-2028, which is the deadline set by Parliament for having all licence holders registered.
Rifles are the most common type of firearms registered (66%), followed by shotguns (27%), pistols (5%), and then others (1%).
The Territorial Local Authorities (TLA) with the most firearms are:
1. Auckland: 79,955 (12%)
2. Christchurch City: 27,250 (4%)
3. Southland: 22,000 (3%)
Te Tari Pūreke – Firearms Safety Authority Acting Executive Director, Superintendent Bruce Bird, says the third anniversary is an opportunity to look at progress on the five-year journey to fully populate the Registry.
“The purpose of the Firearms Registry is to help make our families and all New Zealanders safer,” says Supt Bird. “Through firearms licensing we’ve known how many people are legally able to use firearms in New Zealand, but until now we’ve not known the locations, numbers, or types of firearms each licence holder has in their possession.
“The Firearms Registry is changing that, and we are well on the way to getting a really good picture of the legally held firearms in our communities.”
Supt Bird says the Authority recognises that most licence holders are law-abiding and responsible and registering a firearm is just becoming another aspect of being a responsible licence holder in New Zealand.
“Licence holders have a key role to play filling in the Registry and keeping their information up to date. In 2028 when we have all licence holders in it will provide a complete record of all lawfully held arms items in New Zealand.”
ENDS
*All data is taken at 22 June, 2026 and rounded down to nearest 5 for clarity.
Issued by Police Media Centre
Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/06/24/nz-gaining-a-complete-picture-of-all-lawfully-held-firearms-for-the-first-time/