Greetings from Palmerston North!

Hello everyone, greetings from Palmerston North! My name is Martin, and I actually recently moved down here to NZ from the US with my parents just a few months ago. Although I do enjoy shooting and have a .22 pellet rifle that I practice with (will work on getting my firearms license in the future) the main reason I joined is because I wanted to ask a series of questions on importing certain restricted knives, in particular Balisongs/Butterfly knives. I had a number of these in the states that I left behind because was unable to apply for an import permit in person here to bring them, and I would like to, if I can, pick one up to keep practicing flipping. Obviously I wouldn’t carry it and such, I just enjoy flipping as a past time, enjoy collecting knives, and really miss the ones I had haha. Anyway, I wanted to ask, what is the method of applying for an import here? I want to do this right as the one I am looking at is not cheap, and would rather not screw it up and lose all that money. I realise that you have to apply to a local arms officer, but I wanted to ask if there were any success stories of anyone even being allowed to do this before, and if I should even bother trying haha. Thanks for any help!

And for anyone that doesn’t know what a balisong is, here you go. (Not my image)Attachment 83115

Welcome along Martin. I can't help but someone here might be able to.

make sure you get a permit for every knife that you want to bring in. even the legal ones..... our lovely customs turkeys seem to run a random lottery on what items to confiscate and destroy.

Welcome Martin, Palmy is a nice place when the wind and rain stops!
I don't know for sure, but I have always thought that butterfly knives were banned in NZ, along with switchblades. Hopefully someone on here will know.

I was under the impression it's not illegal to own a butterfly knife you just can't import them. Could be wrong


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Cant see much use for those myself, we don't tend to hunt butterflies down here :D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Gibo

Cant see much use for those myself, we don't tend to hunt butterflies down here :D

---

Kids seem to do ok with tennis racquets in the kale crop.



Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Cigar

Welcome Martin, Palmy is a nice place when the wind and rain stops!
I don't know for sure, but I have always thought that butterfly knives were banned in NZ, along with switchblades. Hopefully someone on here will know.

---

Thanks for all the help guys! Cigar, I thought so too, but after checking the list of restricted items on the NZ Police website, it states at the bottom that if you want to bring any of these into NZ you need an import permit. Now the issue comes in finding a reason they consider valid for importing it lol.

Welcome to NZ and the forum, hope you can sort those import permits for your knives, not nice leaving things behind that you enjoy.

Thanks for the welcome guys. Just had my permit to import filled out, anyone know how long they usually take with these things? Thanks!

welcome, nz knife laws are a little weird. for instance you can purchase a double edged blade made mere but cant import one without a permit ( i know a ww2 memorabilia collector who has to apply each time for something worth 10k upwards)

Yeah I've noticed. I also don't understand why a balisong would be restricted and a large fixed blade completely ok, you can conceal both, and a balisong would probably not be something someone would want to use in crime considering they aren't as sturdy. Plus, no one is going to apply for an import permit and spend $400 on a fairly small knife just to try and use it in crime. I explained I was a collector (have a case full of somewhat valuable folders and a few limited runs of SAK's, as well as some oddballs over 60 years old) and had a number of them I had to leave behind in the states, and wanted to put one in my collection again, as well as that I keep my knives in a locked case. Hopefully this is a good enough reason.

Hey welcome martin @cphelilife I had a collection of butterfly knives as a young fella but this is the only one I can find.They sure are a great way for skinning ya knuckles if ya can't flick em right.This ones not for sale but if ya get into a pissed up fight with @Gibo a leatherman comes in handy.
Attachment 85669

Butterfly knives are not legal here. Pretty shit for skinning a deer anyway.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Dundee

Hey welcome martin @cphelilife I had a collection of butterfly knives as a young fella but this is the only one I can find.They sure are a great way for skinning ya knuckles if ya can't flick em right.This ones not for sale but if ya get into a pissed up fight with @Gibo a leatherman comes in handy.
Attachment 85669

---

@Gibo would have owned you that night Dundee. Even with your bloody Leatherman he had a reach advantage and was powered by Waikato. You had been drinking that fucking lolly water piss and were by far the shorter arse. Ha ha ha ha ha

Bloody short man syndrome at its finest :D

Welcome mate, I imported an AK47 bayonet back from Iraq with no issues. Heres a link to the following form, the one you are after is the POL 67 OW

Firearms forms and guides | New Zealand Police

Thanks mawzer308, yeah it looks like both bayonets and balisongs fall under the same category under the law so hopefully it is granted, and it does look like it is the same form they gave me to fill out at the station. This is the exact one I am hoping to import, a customized Carbon Fibre BRS replicant. It's about $400 so I would hate to have it confiscated and destroyed lol. Attachment 85700

And just wanted to post this really quick, a while back I sent an email to customs just asking what their stance on balisongs was (whether they were completely prohibited or just restricted) and this is what they replied:
"Hello Martin.



As long as the butterfly knife has a blade (sharp or dull), you will require a consent to import. These are issued by the New Zealand Police."

Now I just hope they don't take 6 months to approve or reject my request lol.

Hey guys, been a few months, but they actually ended up granting my permit. Here's my new custom Bladerunners Systems Carbon Fiber Replicant!
https://ibb.co/jOd9we

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by cphelilife

Hey guys, been a few months, but they actually ended up granting my permit. Here's my new custom Bladerunners Systems Carbon Fiber Replicant!
https://ibb.co/jOd9we

---

Hi @cphelilife (you really picked a hard spelling login!)

It's obvious you're not criminally minded but a bona fide collector - what with spending that amount of money on a smart letter opener (-: Good to hear your local AO is as sensible as me. Hope you have a good life in New Zealand. What's happening with your firearms license?

Hi Cordite, haha yeah, has to do with my other hobby of RC collective pitch helicopters. I have not yet applied, as I have started my uni studies recently and really don't have much cash left (only had just enough for this knife, and this Rep is something I've always wanted), but it is definitely something I'd like to do in the future. For now, I have a .22 airgun that I just use for plinking in the yard, so until then it'll have to do :P

A mate of mine was getting knives in from alibaba I was surprised to see what was making it through customs so I put in a little request and yep it wasn't the knives that showed up in the mail :P but a nasty letter !! will be interesting to see what the outcome is .

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Boaraxa

A mate of mine was getting knives in from alibaba I was surprised to see what was making it through customs so I put in a little request and yep it wasn't the knives that showed up in the mail :P but a nasty letter !! will be interesting to see what the outcome is .

---

@Boaraxa...

Attachment 95626

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Boaraxa

A mate of mine was getting knives in from alibaba I was surprised to see what was making it through customs so I put in a little request and yep it wasn't the knives that showed up in the mail :P but a nasty letter !! will be interesting to see what the outcome is .

---

Those letters are never good, meanwhile I’m still wondering why a knife like this is considered more dangerous than say, your average $10 kitchen knife haha. ��

More like gansta knives