An arsenal of nearly 500 firearms has been uncovered from a Gore property in what is believed to be one of New Zealand’s largest weapons seizures.
Police stumbled across the discovery after concerns were raised about a man’s purchasing history, leading them to his home on June 6 to servea notice of temporary suspension.
A total of 478 firearms were seized, including five pistols, potentially prohibited firearms, and some that may be restricted weapons, for which the man was not licensed.
“Significant quantities of ammunition, and firearm parts were also recovered,” police said.
Only six of the firearms were registered in the man’s name – and while some were locked in safes, a large number were unsecured.
Charges are yet to be laid, but that may change “depending on the investigation”, police said.
Almost 500 firearms have been seized from a Gore property in what is believed to be one of New Zealand’s largest seizures of weaponry. Photo / NZ Police
Southland area commander Inspector Mike Bowman said it was the largest seizure of firearms ever seen in the Southern district “by far”.
“It’s shocking to see so many firearms unsecured… the scale of it is concerning," Bowman said.
He said the investigation would look at why the weapons weren’t registered or stored properly, and what the purpose was of such an arsenal.
“A number of inquiries are being made into this discovery, but the sheer number of firearms involved means that will take some time.”
Bowman said it was too soon to determine if any of the firearms were destined to be sold to criminal groups.
‘Unusual purchases’ caught the attention of officials
Bowman said through the firearms registry, the Firearms Safety Authority established the man had purchased multiple firearms since 2023 – not all of which were registered as they should have been after purchase.
“In buying a firearm, the man was required to register older firearms already in his possession, and we allege that did not happen.”
Multiple police vehicles were required to transport the firearms from the property because of the vast number.
While some firearms were locked in safes, a large number were unsecured. Photo / NZ Police
“The firearms, ammo and parts will be held securely by police until the investigation, and any legal action that may follow, is complete,” police said.
“It’s still early days in the investigation and we have a lot of work to do before we get to that point.”
Firearms Safety Authority’s executive director Angela Brazier said the case highlighted the value of the firearms registry and close co-operation between the authority and frontline police.
“Information shared by police enabled us to quickly suspend the man’s licence for failing to comply with his registry obligations. Once his licence was suspended, police could rapidly respond to remove this considerable number of unlawfully held firearms.
“The majority of firearms licence holders are good law-abiding people. The review of the firearms registry released in May confirmed that diversion of firearms to the black market remains a threat to public safety and the registry mitigates that risk.”
