The Army yesterday stopped firing at nine of its 40 ranges throughout the country, following the completion of a range safety review.
The affected ranges are at Gisborne, Hastings, Trentham and Dunedin.
The Army said the suspension was a precaution.
New information on range design and the performance of ammunition had been accepted as the basis for range standards, it said.
Those standards had been applied during a recent review of safety.
Range users would be consulted and management initiatives developed and implemented, but soldiers' training would not be significantly affected.
Army spokesman Wing Commander John Seward said that one range in Gisborne, one in Hastings and two in Dunedin had been closed.
The other five ranges were at Trentham, near Wellington.
Wing Commander Seward said information and safety reviews had indicated the ranges were safe but recent information on range design and ammunition ballistics indicated they could be improved.
The Army had been involved in the international safety group for many years but the information on which the range review took place became available only this year.
"It's a safety issue but it's one that's manageable," he said.
"Until we figure out how to manage that, and how to manage the use of the ranges, we'll suspend firing.
"They [the Army] are looking at a whole line of options."
Until the new information became available, the processes used to establish range safety had been deemed appropriate, said Wing Commander Seward.
"The risk probably has not changed but it is better understood.
"It's not a case of sitting on your hands and doing nothing about it - it's not the way professionals work," he said.
Other range users, including the National Rifle Association and Black Powder clubs, would cease operations.
No date for reopening the ranges has been given.
- NZPA
Soldiers hold fire at ranges
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