Overview

• New Zealand police and intelligence agencies confirmed that Kash Patel presented the items during a July visit to open the FBI’s first standalone office in Wellington.
• The replicas were incorporated into challenge coin display stands given to Police Commissioner Richard Chambers, NZSIS Director‑General Andrew Hampton, and GCSB Director‑General Andrew Clark.
• The recipients sought guidance from the firearms regulator the next day, after which Commissioner Chambers directed police to retain and destroy the items to ensure legal compliance.
• Pistols require additional permits in New Zealand, 3D-printed weapons are treated like conventional guns, and it remains unclear what permissions were used to bring the replicas into the country.
• The FBI declined to comment as the episode surfaced alongside earlier unease over the undisclosed office opening and Patel’s remarks about countering China’s influence.