AN IMPORTANT CHANGE TO AIR NEW ZEALAND'S FIREARMS CARRIAGE REQUIREMENTS
12 November 2021

Air New Zealand’s Dangerous Goods Specialist has advised NZDA that there are changes to their firearms carriage requirements.

Effective 17th November 2021, all passengers traveling with firearms will be required to undergo two ‘Ownership Verification Checks’.

Check 1: Departure

During Check-In

The passenger/owner will be required to present one of the following:

a current Firearms Licence
a current Visitors Firearms Licence
a valid Import Permit
The Customer Service Agent will check:

the booking name is the same as the document
the document is current e.g. not expired, not valid
If the check is successful, a ‘Deliver to Passenger or Baggage Services’ tag will be attached to the bag/case and accepted for travel. This tag will not require a signature, neither will the passenger/owner be given a copy.

Should the passenger/owner fail the ‘Ownership Verification Check’ the firearm will not be permitted to travel and the check-in process will be terminated.

Check 2: Arrival

On Arrival at Destination and prior to releasing the Firearm

The firearm will either be delivered directly to the Passenger or to Baggage Services Office (if available). In both instances the passenger/owner will be required to pass the ‘Ownership Verification Check’ (the same as when checking-in) before the item will be released.

Should the passenger/owner fail the ‘Ownership Verification Check’, the firearm will not be released. The local Police will be called and the item handed to them.

For more information on traveling with Firearms, please check Air New Zealand's website: https://www.airnewzealand.co.n...rearms-or-ammunition

As it should be and should have been all along. Too many idiots out there that shouldn't have access to firearms or ammunition.
BTW the same policy is being applied by AirNZ to Covid vaccination, no vaccination no fly, again as it should be with this dangerous pandemic sweeping the world.
My full support for both.

It wasn't that many moons ago that I walked to baggage claim, to find mine and my brothers guns laying on the floor unattended by the baggage carousel. No customs check on that flight, so any person there could have picked them up and walked off with them.

There should be stringent firearms requirements to insure legal ownership. Having flown to other countries with my rifles it was always a concern that my personal firearms were properly shipped via the airline, that these arrived on time with me, that my personal property was handled with care and to insure ALL was safe when I took possession of them. Have always gone the extra yard to insure that all entities realized my compliance with their laws. This is a simple process if a person does their due diligence prior to perhaps a once in a lifetime trip.

It's good to see the maturity of responses here. I have been disturbed, both here and in NZ, on occasions at how easy it was to take possession of rifles at airports.

Gentlemen, I am soliciting an opinion here. In your honest opinion. Do you foresee NZ being open to non residents in 2022? We have had a trip planned, deposit paid for 2019 through current without much information in this regard. Our outfitter has been plagued by indecision and has no concrete answers.
Thank you for your opinions and input. MTG

Im booked for '23. I am not getting the shot so I may not be able to go either.

quote:

MTGunner
posted 15 November 2021 22:36
Gentlemen, I am soliciting an opinion here. In your honest opinion. Do you foresee NZ being open to non residents in 2022? We have had a trip planned, deposit paid for 2019 through current without much information in this regard. Our outfitter has been plagued by indecision and has no concrete answers.
Thank you for your opinions and input. MTG

MTG,
Don't hold me to this but I would give a cautious "yes" to NZ being open in 2022. I'm almost certain this will be by the second half of 2022 but the first half of 2022 ( probably when you want to hunt ) remains sticky. Govt. is signaling opening of our borders to fully vaccinated travelers who may not have to quarantine or may only have a short quarantine. All contingent on us maintaining reasonably low infection levels and no new variant outbreaks around the world.
Only from the end of November are the most locked down regions here likely to see some easing of movement restrictions and I think Govt. wants to get all this sorted before opening again to tourism.
As I say, that's how it looks to me right now but it could quickly change either way.
Good luck mate. Hope you get to do your hunt.
Cheers

quote:

Hughiam
posted 16 November 2021 09:36
Im booked for '23. I am not getting the shot so I may not be able to go either.

Hughiam,
Yes, your assessment seems correct to me. I don't think unvaccinated travelers will be allowed to enter NZ.
I think the other issue you will face is even getting on a plane as it seems most airlines will carry only fully vaccinated passengers.

One can only hope that NZ will open for our hunt late July 2022. We, my wife and myself, have had the required two first shots and the booster due to our ages 74 & 69 years old. We agreed to take the shots because of our ages and my mild asthma.
As far as importing a rifle I have, reluctantly, decided to use the outfitters rifle, 270 bolt action BTW. Therefore looking to fruition. Our outfitter, GH, has stated that if he attends the SCI convention in January 2022 our hunt will be on. Again, one can hope. Thanks all for your help and please be safe. MTG

I'm not at all confident that NZ will open its borders until later in 2022. I can see that our current government will next want to get all of the 5-11 year olds fully vaccinated before borders reopen. Vaccinations for that age category are due to start in the first quarter next year. I think second half of 2022 is likely but very unlikely before then. I've postponed any over seas hunts until 2023. I just cant see quarantine free travel being an option before then.

Having just got out of 2 weeks in prison, ( MIQ Managed isolation) for the second time this year. I can't recommend it as a vacation but if you are determined to travel and hunt internationally from NZ it's the price you have to pay, although (too late for me) the Government have just reduced the time for some passengers.
It was worth going, I got several nice Roe bucks and Muntjac out of my woods in Gloucestershire!
I concur with the previous comments that non-citizens will be unlikely to be allowed in much before mid-2022. This is a very risk-averse Government!
With only local hunting pressure a lot of the private land hunting will be holding some impressive trophies by next year. Getting an impressive trophy off public land will be as difficult as ever for overseas hunters.
Unvaccinated people will not be made welcome by this Government.

Our Govt has not come to any sort of decision on getting stranded kiwis home yet. Hell they seemed prepared to let them enter chinese jails for overstaying, rather than let them come home.
Thankfully the Chinese were more sensible!
In my honest opinion, going off the track record. Everything we think is sensible timeframe wise, is way short of what this Govt will do or achieve.
I do not see them opening up our borders to tourist in any reasonable timeframe.

What people do not understand or comprehend when comparing our way of dealing with Covid is that we are a landmass the size of England or old West Germany but we only have a total population of 5 million residents. For years we sat on 3 million residents until we opened up to refugees and others, many not supporting themselves or large extended families that ultimately emigrated as well. The elders of these families are also often needing our health system.
So we have a small taxpayer base trying to pay for the infrastructure of a landmass that most other countries in the world with similar landmass have millions more taxpayers. When I was in old West Germany in the early 80's they had a population of 70 million residents with rather more tame landscape than we have here in NZ so of course their autobahn and rail network was fabulous as was all their other infrastructure. Likewise England has a huge tax base for a land mass similar to NZ.

We just do not have the hospital and health care infrastructure to deal with a large outbreak of any disease or virus. So many travellers come to NZ, make use of our free (to residents) accident medivac and treatment and other health care systems then hightail it home and not pay the bill.

While accepting spread of Covid now that we have our vaccination rates up and opening our internal borders, we still have to try and manage our health system while protecting the vulnerable groups in our population, vaccinated or not.

Someone who can't come and hunt here in the next couple of years or kiwis who have made their home overseas, and like many I have heard when they return for a holiday, slag NZ off as being third world, no opportunity, low wages, blah, blah ,blah, I say to the former, sorry but we can't run the risk of inundating our health system to satisfy tourists at the moment and to the latter I say to them fuck off and stay away, we who live and work here and contribute to our daily lives don't need you back in the middle of a pandemic. You chose to live and work outside, don't crawl back when the going gets tough. Don't leave for a holiday or visit relatives in your 'homeland' or to enjoy a business lunch in New York and then cry foul when you can't get an MIQ spot when you want to return to NZ.

I'm tired of listening to the constant bleating of the sheep that left our shores now want back home to mummy when it's not so rosy in those countries of high wages, opportunity and all the rest of the bullshit.

Just announced, visitors from Australia can enter NZ without MIQ from 19 January and visitors from anywhere, any nationality from 30 April 2022. Will have to be fully jabbed, tested on arrival and probably have to isolate themselves for an unspecified period (7 days?)somewhere and be tested again before venturing freely into the community.
If coming to hunt best to add 7 days to your trip?

That is encouraging news.....but, quarantine for unspecified amount of time, 7 days, where? I do want to complete our planned trip. Albeit, I/we am someone suspect. I truly enjoyed NZ on our first trip but am again suspect. Perhaps will wait for additional information prior to booking tickets.
Hope all returns to your beautiful country soon. MTG

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/tra...V2D6OFU737YMCI4SJC4/
Gives a good summary.
But non-kiwi wont get in until May; and I think that once Auckland borders are open and covid spreads like wildfire amongst the unvaccinated we wont open it up then. They will want to get the 5-11 year olds vaccinated before the borders open...

Yes I notice some ambiguity in the wording for foreigners, in that it says

quote:

fully vaccinated Kiwis and other eligible travellers

Do not be surprised if there are heavy restrictions on who is eligible.
It might well be work visa holders etc only.

I dont want to be the grinch, but just have no faith in what this crowd says.

Come on Shanks! Have you no faith in she who talks with forked tongue?

To be blunt, None whatsoever!