High-powered laser pointers will be banned from import to New Zealand from March 1 after a record number of "laser strikes" on aircraft last year, the government announced Friday.

Associate Health Minister Jo Goodhew said 119 laser strikes on aircraft were reported last year compared with fewer than 10 in 2006.

"The Civil Aviation Authority reports five laser strike incidents on planes already this year the most recent affected an international flight landing at Auckland," Goodhew said in a statement.

"High-powered laser pointers can also cause eye injuries, even blindness, and skin burns."

Under the new regulations, access to hand-held high-power laser pointers with a power output of greater than 1 milliwatt would be restricted to those who had a legitimate reason to use them, such as astronomers.

"The regulations are in line with Australia's restrictions and recommendations by the World Health Organization. Lower power devices, like those used for pointing during presentations, will not be affected. The controls also do not apply to more sophisticated laser devices such as survey instruments or rifle sights," said Goodhew.