New Zealand firearms buy-back audit: findings and follow-up

What the audit found

The Auditor-General examined how Police implemented the buy-back and amnesty created after Parliament prohibited defined firearms, magazines and parts in April 2019. Ernst & Young provided real-time assurance work during implementation ¹.

Police held 605 local collection events and used dealers, police stations, home collection and gun-club events. The audit found that collection events, tracking, compensation processing and financial controls worked as intended in most respects ¹.

Police provisional data recorded 61,332 firearms collected, destroyed or modified at 13 February 2020. Police estimates of the prohibited stock ranged from about 55,000 to 240,000, so the Auditor-General could not determine the compliance rate or reach a value-for-money conclusion ¹.

Compensation paid by 20 December 2019 was $102 million, with a final Police estimate of about $120 million. Administration was estimated at up to $35 million, compared with the original $18 million budget ¹.

The report recorded a December 2019 privacy incident after an external provider made an unauthorised system change. One user accessed 436 citizen records, including 34 at detailed account level, and Police contacted affected people and oversight bodies ².

The official response

Police were open to the real-time assurance process and changed procedures during the scheme. The audit recorded added firearm checks and staff training after two discharges in secure, non-public areas ¹.

In its 2022 response, Police said it had completed first and second scheme applications, incorporated lessons into the Firearms Registry design and continued work on public reporting and impact evaluation ^3,4.

Parliament

The audit report was presented to the House of Representatives under the Public Audit Act 2001 ¹. Parliament's Finance and Expenditure Committee considered the report in the 52nd Parliament, with the business listed for possible continuation after the 2020 election ⁵.

The underlying legislation and later firearms reforms were parliamentary policy decisions. The Auditor-General did not assess whether Parliament should have created the scheme ¹.

Follow-up audits and recommendations

The audit recommended stronger engagement with firearms owners and dealers, better regulatory information, and an evaluation framework covering compliance and safety effects ¹. It asked Police to report final scheme outcomes to Parliament.

In June 2022 the Audit Office published the Police progress report. The Office stated that it had reproduced the report without auditing or testing the information ³. Police reported that processing was complete and that officials had briefed the Police Minister in 2020 and 2021 ^3,4.

Courts, tribunals and investigations

The 2022 Police update said one endorsement application from the first scheme remained in court litigation ³. No final judgment on that application was identified in the official sources reviewed.

The audit did not make a criminal finding against Police staff, a supplier, a dealer or a firearms owner. It assessed implementation, controls, cost and information quality ^1,2.

Where it stands now

Police reported in 2022 that all processing for the first and second buy-backs was complete, apart from the noted litigation, and that endorsement work had moved into renewal and routine operations ^3,4.

The official follow-up is a management response, not a verified follow-up audit. The unresolved evidence question is the measured effect of the regulatory changes and the scheme on compliance and public safety ³.

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