Firearms Safety Training by NZ Mountain Safety Council Ends
From 1 July 2025, firearms safety training in Aotearoa is changing and will no longer be available through NZ Mountain Safety Council (MSC). This follows a decision by Te Tari Pūreke Firearms Safety Authority (FSA) in December 2024 to move firearms safety courses in-house, as it expands its community education role.
MSC has played a critical and instrumental role in firearms safety training in Aotearoa, with direct involvement for over 50 years. Beginning in the 1970s through a volunteer-based model, then shifting to a smaller pool of professional instructors in 2018.
MSC is immensely proud of this history. Over the decades, we have delivered tens of thousands of courses across New Zealand, continually refining the curriculum and course content to provide the best educational experience to meet the needs of the diverse firearms licence applicants and the wider firearms community. Our recent average course evaluation score of 4.89 out of 5 reflects the quality of our delivery methods, instructors and courses.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our dedicated team of firearms safety instructors, past and present, who have been integral to this success. Their professionalism, energy, enthusiasm and tireless commitment have contributed significantly to improved firearms safety standards nationwide, which has undoubtably contributed to a safer firearms and hunting community in Aotearoa.
Looking ahead, MSC remains 100% focused on its core mission to enhance outdoor safety, including hunter safety, in New Zealand’s outdoors. We will continue to provide free resources, educational tools, videos and other safety initiatives to empower hunters to safely enjoy their hunting.
We thank the firearms community for their support over the years and remain proud of our shared accomplishments in advancing firearms safety.
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PHOTO CREDIT | Hunters Journal