Inaugural Chief Executive Firearms Safety and Education appointed
Inaugural Chief Executive Firearms Safety and Education appointed
The Governor-General, Rt Hon Dame Cindy Kiro, has appointed Dr Kelvin Watson as the inaugural Chief Executive of Firearms Safety and Education New Zealand, Secretary for Justice Andrew Kibblewhite announced today (26 August 2026).
Dr Watson will formally take up the statutory role on 23 September 2026 when most of the Arms Act 2026 comes into force and FSENZ is formally established.
Dr Watson has been Deputy Secretary (Corporate Services) at the Ministry of Justice since October 2023 and has been responsible for a range of services including finance, property, digital and IT services, and communications. He has previously held senior leadership positions at Statistics New Zealand, Capital and Coast District Health Board, New Zealand Post, and the Open Polytechnic.
The Chief Executive is a statutory role with a range of regulatory and licensing powers under the new Arms Act 2026. While Firearms Safety and Education New Zealand will receive corporate services from the New Zealand Police, it will be an independent agency that will replace the Firearms Safety Authority, which is a branded business unit in Police. The Ministry of Justice will be responsible for monitoring the new agency.
