The WW1 German-made anti-tank cannon has featured at the Anzac services for years but will be fired for the last time today.
The old cannon was one of 200 made and is one of only six remaining in the world.
Police confirmed yesterday new firearms licensing charges would require a four-figure permit fee to be paid by the cannon’s private owner before it could be fired at a public event again.
Owner Neil Hughes said he was saddened he would not be able to use the cannon for public events such as Anzac Day again without having to pay a fee.
The old cannon had cost him a lot to restore.
"It’s a rare piece of weaponry. It’s good to get it out and about, like firing it on Anzac Day and recognise the people who have died for us and given their lives in the ultimate sacrifice."
He inherited the old cannon from his father-in-law, who found it in a Colac Bay paddock in the 1950s.
Sir Peter Jackson’s armourer completed the refurbishment of the 960kg weapon.
The barrel had deteriorated too much to fire live rounds, so blanks were custom-made for displays.
"I’ve only got seven rounds left and I need to use them all this year."
The cannon would shoot the first of its final rounds at 6.59am today followed by another shot at 7am to start the Invercargill service parade. A final three-shot volley would follow after The Last Post as a salute.
The old relic would then be loaded on to a tandem trailer and transferred to the RSA for the morning before heading to Bluff for its last salute at 11am, where a final three-shot volley would be fired after The Last Post was played.
He was annoyed at how restrictive the new gun licensing laws had become, Mr Hughes said.
"I’m not very happy at all ... We will have to sit down with the police arms officer down here and say, ‘Hey, what’s the story? I need to understand exactly how it affects firing the cannon’.
"If it’s a case of not firing it, it is very disappointing. They [army officials] stopped the army from firing the 21-gun salute a few years back, now they’re going to stop this."
Council of Licensed Firearm Owners spokesman Hugh Devereaux-Mack said the fees would stop gun salutes, a tradition that had been part of Anzac Day services for generations.
All memorial services such as Anzac Day should be exempt from the proposed fees as they were public events, he said.
Without an exemption the proposed fees would "cripple Anzac services as we know them", he said.
Charges would also affect all events involving firearms, from military re-enactments such as airshows, to filming on movie sets.
"The police want to charge community events as an immoral cost to properly remember our fallen soldiers.
"The firing party is part of the Anzac culture and a poignant moment in memorial services. How can you possibly put a price on that?"
Army cadets now used fake weaponry specifically designed for drill purpose.
NZ Army unit commander Lieutenant David Lee said the cadets were covered under the Defence Act under the Governor-General.
