Ham radio licence in NZ: the exam, your call sign and the bands

Not in your own name. With a GAOC and a call sign you transmit under RSM’s GURL for Amateur Radio Operators. The GURL doesn’t cover repeaters, beacons or fixed links. Each of those needs its own licence, which an approved radio certifier or engineer applies for on your behalf, and in November 2026 RSM listed its fee as $66 per transmitter, with an annual fee to keep it.

RSM’s GURL notice lists them. From 1.8 to 29.7 MHz, the bands are 1.8 to 1.95, 3.5 to 3.9, 5.3515 to 5.3665, 7 to 7.3, 10.1 to 10.15, 14 to 14.35, 18.068 to 18.168, 21 to 21.45, 24.89 to 24.99 and 28 to 29.7 MHz, plus 26.95 to 27.3 MHz for telemetry and telecommand only. Above them are 50 to 54, 144 to 148 and 430 to 440 MHz, then bands from 915 MHz up to 1,000 GHz, and there are two low bands, 130 to 190 kHz and 472 to 479 kHz. The power limit is 30 dBW peak envelope power, lower on a few ranges, and some bands are shared with other services. The GURL keeps every NZ operator off the bands between 5 and 25 MHz until they’ve held a GAOC for three months and logged 50 contacts in that time. That log has to be kept for at least a year.

Under PIB 46, an amateur call sign is ZL, a number from 0 to 9 and one to six letters. For a first call sign, NZART’s procedure uses ZL1, ZL2, ZL3 or ZL4 and two to five letters. Call signs beginning ZL1Z, ZL2Z and so on aren’t given out, as RSM keeps them for testing. Under PIB 46 you can hold one primary and one secondary call sign, and you can use ZM in place of ZL during a recognised contest or a special event. Permanent ZL7 call signs go only to Chatham Islands residents.

NZART publishes maps of them: very high frequency and ultra high frequency repeaters for each island, digital and data repeaters, a separate Wellington and Wairarapa map, the National System repeater network and beacons. In November 2026 NZART’s page said the maps were updated in June 2026. NZART’s Engineering and Licensing Group coordinates repeater frequencies and handles applications to set up repeaters, beacons and fixed links.

Unrestricted two-way radios, the kind used in amateur radio, can only be sold by a supplier with RSM’s endorsement, under a 2018 prohibition notice. RSM says the aim is to keep this equipment within the amateur community: you need a certificate of competency to use it, and the supplier records each buyer’s name and call sign. RSM also says equipment bought in New Zealand with a Regulatory Compliance Mark or R-NZ label can be used straight away, while a radio bought online or overseas may not be able to be set up for NZ frequencies. For used gear, NZART members can place one free Hamad of up to 50 words in each issue of its journal, Break-In, to buy or sell personal equipment.

Sometimes. If you’re short of 40, the supervisors can let you sit a second, different paper on the spot. NZART’s procedure says that’s usually only worth it with 35 to 39 right, and that supervisors may suggest more tuition from your branch first, so you don’t give up after a second miss.

Yes, for up to 90 days, if your home certificate meets recommendation T/R 61-01 or T/R 61-02 of the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT). There’s nothing to apply for and no fee. You add ZL to your own call sign, with a stroke on voice or a slash in Morse code, or use ZL7, ZL8 or ZL9 on the Chatham, Kermadec or Sub-Antarctic Islands. For a longer stay you email RSM with your HAREC document, passport photo page, addresses and the dates of your visit.

If you’ve moved to New Zealand, some do. Under PIB 46, an examiner can recognise a HAREC from a country in the CEPT T/R 61-02 arrangement, Australia’s Amateur Operator’s Certificate of Proficiency (Advanced), or Japan’s First or Second Class Amateur Radio Operator certificate, and issue a permanent NZ call sign.

Not as a skill test. Nothing in the exam asks you to send or copy Morse, though some bank questions are about it. NZART offers a separate Morse test for anyone who wants one. You copy 3 minutes of plain text sent at 5 words per minute, with no more than 4 errors, and then send a short text the testers can read.