Federated Farmers has welcomed a 'practical” approach taken in changes to firearms legislation.

On February 1, the Arms Amendment Regulations 2021 came into force to improve firearms safety and keep the public safe from firearms harm.

Police say this update on earlier legislation will assist those with a firearms licence understand their compliance requirements by giving greater transparency to the licence holder's legal obligations.

The regulations have introduced further changes to firearms transport and storage requirements, potentially affecting farmers and hunters.

Federated Farmers say they are pleased with the consultation process run by Police and their willingness to work with the rural community to ensure that the regulations achieved safer firearms use.

'But it was still practical,” says Matamata Federated Farmers sharemilkers' representative Matthew Zonderop.

'The original proposal was quite impractical in places.”

For the storage of ammunition, police proposed for ammunition to be kept in its own locked storage metal/steel container.

Matthew says Federated Farmers had this expanded to include stout cupboards or storage rooms or other secure approved places.

'This was largely to allow for farmers who store large amounts of bulky shotgun for bird scaring or rabbit control.”

For transportation of firearms in vehicles, police proposed that the firearm had to be secured to an anchor point in the vehicle or a locked container secured/bolted to structural parts of the vehicle or in a locked compartment within the vehicle.

Matthew says Federated Farmers had pointed out how impractical this was and had made the following recommendation firearms should instead be concealed, inoperable (take the bolt out) and stored separately from any ammunition.

Police similarly recommended any ammunition transported in a vehicle had to be in a locked box, Federated Farmers had recommended it be stored out of sight, separately from any firearms and in a locked glove box or similar storage area only if practicable.

It was previously illegal to leave a firearm unattended in a vehicle.

Matthew says Federated Farmers had submitted for this to be firearms left in locked vehicles out of sight for a period up to an hour with people in the immediate area.

'This allows people to stop at service stations, have dinner, rest breaks etc.”

In the original proposal, he says vehicles had to have immobilisers or alarms.

'Federated Farmers had pointed out the impracticality of that.”

Matthew says Federated Farmers had also ensured that there were exemptions from all of these transport requirements while firearms were being used for farming, hunting or pest control.

'Farmers are still captured by the transportation requirements but only when transporting firearms to places such as the gunsmith, between properties, or taking them away from their property for recreational hunting trips or similar.”

Federated Farmers national firearms spokesperson Andrew Hoggard says the original proposed legislation went too far.

'We need to get this right because use of firearms is essential in our rural communities, both as a tool on farms and for hunting.”

Andrew says farmers are the largest commercial users of firearms in New Zealand by far, as they are integral for both pest management and animal welfare.

In a survey of Federated Farmers' members in 2019, 92 per cent reported having firearms in their household or business.