New Arms Regulations From 17 January 2019

Appears mainly to be allowing Import Permits, Permits to Procure and the like be applied for and issued electronically.

The only other real change I've noticed so far is that "The Commissioner may direct that only certain members of the Police may issue permits or licences or grant endorsements under the Act." I suppose that's to make it clear and stop people asking random cops to sign mail order permits etc. Just found it, all hard copy mail order permit applications must go through an Arms Office or be sent electronically.

Arms (Electronic Transactions) Amendment Regulations 2018

Arms (Electronic Transactions) Amendment Regulations 2018 (LI 2018/271) Contents – New Zealand Legislation

From the Regulations:

Explanatory note

This note is not part of the regulations, but is intended to indicate their general effect.

These regulations, which come into force 28 days after the date of their notification in the Gazette, amend the Arms Regulations 1992 (the principal regulations) to enable applications to be made and other processes to be carried out under the Arms Act 1983 (the Act) electronically through an Internet site maintained by or on behalf of the Commissioner of Police (the Internet site).

Under new regulation 2A, the provisions enabling applications to be made or other processes to be carried out in this manner apply only when the Commissioner of Police offers to receive the applications through that Internet site or permits those processes to be carried out through the site. Under new regulation 2B, the provisions are also subject to the general qualification that a person must make their application in writing in hard copy form if a commissioned officer of Police requires them to do so.
The main changes made to the principal regulations have the following effect:

Licensed dealers
an application for a dealer’s licence and an application for a licence relating to a gun show may be made electronically:
a licensed dealer may keep their book of records of dealings under section 12 of the Act in electronic form if the manner in which this is done ensures that the information remains complete and unaltered and the dealer maintains the systems and processes necessary to enable the dealer to access and provide any record to a member of the Police, on demand, at any time during the period for which the record is required to be kept (5 years from the date on which that electronic record is entered):

Permits to import
an application for a permit to import, for the purposes of section 16(1) of the Act, may be made electronically:
the importer of an item under a permit may also notify that importation electronically:

Permits to procure
an application for a permit to procure may be made electronically if both parties to the transaction (the person handing over and the person taking possession of the item) agree to complete that process electronically:

Authorisations for Commissioner to prescribe electronic forms and give directions
the Commissioner may prescribe requirements for electronic applications and may prescribe, approve, and require the use of forms:
new regulation 28C enables the Commissioner to direct who may issue licences or permits or grant endorsements:

Miscellaneous
a person intending to purchase firearms or ammunition for firearms or restricted weapons by mail order may apply, electronically, for endorsement of the written order for the purposes of section 43A of the Act:

persons applying for licences electronically may supply photographs electronically:
regulation 14 is amended to clarify that testing of applicants for firearms licences is not limited to theoretical testing.