Sporting Shooters Association of New Zealand

13/09/2026

Curious about the Chaz Forsyth Memorial Hunter Match? Check out Selwyn Smith's write up of last year's event in the Hunting and Wildlife Magazine Issue 231. This year is building on last year's feedback and will be bigger and better! Higher round counts, challenging targets, and even more prizes!

If this sounds like something you are interested, jump on to the event page https://www.facebook.com/share/1EYJvXU87u/ and sign up via Practiscore https://practiscore.com/the-chaz-forsyth-memorial-hunter-match-2026/register

If you want a limited edition event patch, then get in quick, we only have 50!

10/09/2026

Today Family and friends said farewell to SSANZ life member Alan Webster. Alan was diagnosed with Cancer last February and passed away peacefully at home on 4 September.

Alan was a founding member of SSANZ Northland Branch serving as treasurer from 2000 to 2020 and national treasurer from 2014 to 2020. In addition he was President of Whangarei Branch of NZDA for 15 years and an MSC fi***rm safety instructor also for some 15 years.

A "can do" sort of bloke, Alan was always ready to help others into the sport of shooting, and could be relied upon to undertake any task with a friendly and cheerful smile. A great asset to the shooting community and a "true gentleman".

Our sincere condolences to Alan's wife Judith, son Brendon and grandchildren Cam and Lucy and wider family.

08/09/2026

Must be that time of the week again. Its crazy to us that Police feel they can argue they are a suitable organisation for administering the Arms Act when they cant even tell if their own staff are fit and proper half the time.

Its getting a bit old.

Police officer suspended on full pay after allegedly tipping off drug suppliers

28/08/2026

We are thrilled to announce that this summer, COLFO is launching a new pilot programme to get more people onto shooting ranges and trying shooting sports for the very first time.

Try Shooting This Summer is a partnership between COLFO and Gun City. The aim is simple: a safe, supervised open day on a real range, so someone new can try .22LR and .223, meet a local club, and see what our community is actually about.

Here is what a host club gets. Gun City supplies the .22LR and .223 am******on and if they have a store nearby, a r***e or two. COLFO will design the ads and run the digital advertising campaign. All clubs need to manage is running the open day at their club.

Clubs pay a minimum of $50 a week for that advertising. COLFO takes none of it. Every dollar goes to promoting your open day.

We have limited the pilot to 15 clubs so we can do it properly. 9 of 15 slots are still open. If it works, you can expect it to grow next year.

If you run a club and want in, sign up here:
https://hughdm.wixforms.com/f/7483010044477309991

And if you already shoot: tag the friend you would take with you below. Two lucky winners will each receive a Game On Shooting Gear Seat and a Trailmate 900ml Insulated Tumbler courtesy of Gun City, so the two of you can sit down after and have a non-alcoholic drink together.

If you have been waiting to try or want to see the sport grow, tell your club. This is how we grow the sport and teach more people about our community.

27/08/2026

Apparently National recognise that semi autos are the way to go for goat and deer operations now.

22/08/2026

A lovely little OIA contained an Arms Act submission from 2025 (we are currently requesting the full document). This documents existence is not known to us but unfortunately the policy positions of FSA are known to us. Dont think button actions and lever guns are all they want, they are only the start... and this is it, in official documents.

One thing we will need to watch for when FSA dissolves and FSE takes its place is if the FSA staff who are pushing these attitudes will be rehired in equivalent positions in the new regulator. We need a culture change in FSE, not a uniform change for the third time.

10/08/2026

In the lead-up to the 2026 New Zealand General Election, COLFO invited all registered political parties to respond to clear questions on fi***rms policy. Every party received the same briefing and the opportunity to appear on a live Digital Town Hall. This page publishes their responses in full, wit...

04/08/2026

Question: Do licence holders need to do anything differently when the new Arms Act commences?

Answer: Fi****ms licence and endorsement holders do not have to do anything different at day one.

From 23 September many parts of the new Arms Act come into force, with others commencing progressively after that. On day one all fi***rms licence holders remain current under the new Act. All conditions in the new Act apply, and any existing prescribed conditions continue to apply, as though issued under new Act.

The same goes for those with fi***rms licence applications in our system. These will continue on. Licence holders continue to have the same ongoing obligations with the Fi****ms Registry. There has been no change there either.

Over the next two months, we will be regularly sharing updates and information across our different channels and through our stakeholder networks as things become more certain.

Easy ways that you can keep yourself informed are by following our page, checking our website or signing up to our monthly newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/h6kn7b

30/07/2026

The 'Police are the only ones fit and proper to regulate fi***rms' crowd is not having a nice day today.

Court documents allege the officer, aged in his 40s, stole a police-issued G***k valued at $1204 in February.

29/07/2026

And thats a wrap on the Arms Bill. With third reading complete its off to the Governor-General for the formalities to become law.