Nearly 700,000 firearms have now been recorded in New Zealand’s Firearms Registry as authorities mark three years since the controversial database was introduced.
Figures released by Te Tari Pūreke – Firearms Safety Authority show 683,435 firearms and 18,675 firearms parts have been registered by 138,115 licence holders since the registry came into effect on June 24, 2023.
The latest data indicates around 63 per cent of New Zealand’s 219,955 firearms licence holders are now enrolled in the registry, with an average of five firearms registered per licence holder.
At the current rate of registrations, officials estimate the database could contain more than 1.1 million lawfully held firearms by mid-2028, when all licence holders are legally required to have registered their firearms.
Rifles make up the majority of registered firearms at 66 per cent, followed by shotguns at 27 per cent, pistols at five per cent and other firearms at one per cent.
Auckland has the highest number of registered firearms with 79,955, followed by Christchurch City with 27,250 and Southland with 22,000.
Acting Executive Director of the Firearms Safety Authority, Superintendent Bruce Bird, said the registry was helping authorities build a clearer picture of legally held firearms across the country.
“The purpose of the Firearms Registry is to help make our families and all New Zealanders safer,” Bird said.
“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.”
Bird said the authority recognised that the vast majority of licence holders were responsible firearms owners and that registering firearms was becoming a routine part of licence holder obligations.
“When we have all licence holders in the registry in 2028, it will provide a complete record of all lawfully held arms items in New Zealand.”
The release of the registry figures comes as a new survey from the Council of Licensed Firearms Owners (COLFO) suggests many firearm owners have little confidence in police administration of firearms laws.
The organisation’s 2026 Trust and Confidence Survey, which received responses from 1,575 licensed firearm owners, found trust in police to administer the Arms Act without bias averaged just 2.10 out of 10.
Trust that police would fairly balance the rights of licensed firearms owners with public safety scored even lower at 2.04 out of 10.
In a release, COLFO spokesperson Hugh Devereux-Mack described the results as evidence of a significant breakdown in trust between licensed firearm owners and police.
“The survey results are stark,” he said.
“These numbers represent a complete breakdown in the relationship between Police and the licensed firearms community.”
The survey found respondents viewed the Firearms Safety Authority more favourably than police across several measures, particularly when seeking advice and assistance.
COLFO is using the findings to support its call for a complete separation between police and firearms regulation under the Government’s proposed Arms Bill reforms.
“This survey makes one thing crystal clear: Police should have no ongoing role in the administration of firearms licensing and regulation,” Devereux-Mack said.
The survey also highlighted ongoing concerns about the firearms registry itself, with almost one in four respondents reporting errors in their records.
COLFO has called for the Auditor-General to investigate the registry’s accuracy and value for money.
