The New Zealand Police is the national police service and principal law enforcement agency of New Zealand, responsible for preventing crime, enhancing public safety, bringing offenders to justice, and maintaining public order. With about 13,000 personnel, it is the largest law enforcement agency in New Zealand and, with few exceptions, has primary jurisdiction over the majority of New Zealand criminal law. The New Zealand Police also has responsibility for traffic and commercial vehicle enforcement as well as other key responsibilities including protection of dignitaries, firearms licensing, and matters of national security.
Eric Stanley George Graham was a New Zealander who killed seven people.
The Aramoana massacre was a spree shooting that occurred on 13 November 1990 in the small seaside township of Aramoana, northeast of Dunedin, New Zealand. Resident David Gray killed 13 people including local police Sergeant Stewart Guthrie, one of the first responders to the reports of a shooting, after a verbal dispute between Gray and his next-door neighbour. After a careful house-to-house search the next day, police officers led by the Anti-Terrorist Squad located Gray, and shot and injured him as he came out of a house firing from the hip. He died in an ambulance while being transported to hospital.
Aramoana is a small coastal settlement 27 kilometres (17 mi) north of Dunedin on the South Island of New Zealand. The settlement's permanent population in the 2001 Census was 261. Supplementing this are seasonal visitors from the city who occupy cribs. The name Aramoana is Māori for "pathway of the sea".
The Armed Offenders Squad (AOS) are specialist part-time units of the New Zealand Police based around the country available to respond to high risk incidents using specialist tactics and equipment.
Out of the Blue is a 2006 New Zealand crime drama film directed by Robert Sarkies and starring Karl Urban. The film premiered at Toronto International Film Festival in Canada and was released in New Zealand on 12 October 2006. The film grossed over $1 million at the New Zealand box-office, taking it into the top ten highest grossing local films.
New Zealand has experienced few terrorist incidents in its short history and the threat is generally regarded as very low. However, the Security Intelligence Service (SIS) has warned against complacency. This article serves as a list and compilation of past acts of terrorism, attempts of terrorism, and other such items pertaining to terrorist activities within New Zealand. Significant acts of terrorism include the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior in 1985, and the Christchurch mosque shootings in 2019, which killed 51 people and injured 40 others.
The gun laws of New Zealand are contained in the Arms Act 1983 statute, which includes multiple amendments including those that were passed subsequent to the 1990 Aramoana massacre and the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings.
Military-style semi-automatic firearms in New Zealand are those semi-automatic firearms known in the United States as "assault weapons". The phrase is often abbreviated as military-style semi-automatic (MSSA). A New Zealand firearms licence-holder requires an E Category endorsement on their licence before they can possess this type of firearm, and a police-issued permit to procure each firearm is required. Arriving at a clear definition and common understanding of which semi-automatic firearms have a military-style configuration has dominated debate about gun-control legislation in New Zealand since 1992.
In New Zealand, the Arms Act 1983 is the primary statute controlling the possession and use of firearms and air guns.
The Special Tactics Group (STG) is the full-time police tactical group of the New Zealand Police. The STG, originally named the Anti-Terrorist Squad, was established to respond to high-risk situations which are beyond the scope or capacity of everyday policing. STG officers directly support operational police in incidents, such as sieges, with specialist tactical, negotiation, intelligence, and command support services.
The Head Hunters Motorcycle Club are an outlaw motorcycle club in New Zealand. They are found all around the North Island, but are mainly based in East Auckland, with its headquarters being located in Ellerslie. They also have chapters in West Auckland, Wellsford, Northland and Wellington. They have a long criminal history, with more than 1000 notable criminal convictions.
The Tribesmen are a prominent outlaw motorcycle club based in the North Island of New Zealand. They have a relatively large presence, having set up chapters in Ōtara, Northland, Rotorua, Murupara and Christchurch.
The Wanganui Computer Centre bombing occurred in Wanganui, New Zealand, in 1982. The event was carried out to protest New Zealand's ability to record the personal information of citizens which was seen as potentially dangerous by civil libertarians. The Computer Centre continued to operate until its closure in 2005.
On 15 March 2019, two consecutive mass shootings occurred in a terrorist attack on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. The attacks, carried out by a lone gunman who entered both mosques during Friday prayer, began at the Al Noor Mosque in the suburb of Riccarton at 1:40 pm and continued at the Linwood Islamic Centre at 1:52 pm. 51 people were killed and 40 were injured.
The Raurimu massacre was a 1997 mass shooting that occurred in Raurimu, New Zealand. Stephen Anderson murdered six people and wounded four. The massacre was one of the five most deadly mass shootings in the country's history.
The Arms Amendment Act 2019 is a New Zealand bill that amends the Arms Act 1983 to ban semi-automatic firearms, large capacity magazines, and parts that can be used to assemble prohibited firearms. It was introduced by Labour Cabinet Minister and Member of Parliament Stuart Nash in response to the Christchurch mosque shootings. The Bill passed its third and final reading on 10 April 2019, receiving royal assent the following day. The Arms Amendment Bill was supported by all parties represented in Parliament except the opposition ACT Party.
The Arms Legislation Act 2020 is an act by the New Zealand Parliament that established a new regulatory regime to regulate the use and storage of firearms in New Zealand including creating a gun registry. The act passed its first reading on 24 September 2019 with the support of the Labour–led coalition government and its coalition partners New Zealand First and the Greens but was opposed by the opposition National and ACT parties. The act passed its second reading on 19 February 2020 and its third reading on 18 June 2020 and receiving royal assent on 24 June 2020.
Andrew David Coster is the current New Zealand Police Commissioner and former Deputy Police Commissioner. He has served as the New Zealand Commissioner of Police since 3 April 2020.
