New Zealand's complacency on ivory might be killing elephants overseas.

That's according to the Jane Goodall Institute, which is taking World Elephant Day to call for a crackdown on our domestic ivory trade.

Wildlife trade ambassador Fiona Gordon says New Zealand is an outlier among countries like the United States, China, and the EU - which are all making moves to shut down or restrict their markets.

"It has been well recognised that any legal market for ivory creates the opportunity for illegal trade, and indeed that is the case here in New Zealand as well."

"Anyone can sell a piece of ivory in New Zealand, and they do not have to show any information to show when it was imported into the country, or how old it is for example."