Thread: 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)

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


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

Originally Posted by Gibo

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

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



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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.

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

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.
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@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