Doh

Newshub reports:

Hundreds of gun licences were granted in New Zealand over the last decade despite those people having criminal convictions in Australia, a report says.
More than 600 people with criminal convictions in Australia were granted gun licences in New Zealand, of which 37 went on to commit gun crimes, including two homicides, RNZ reports.
Those convictions would have been considered in the vetting process, but they were often minor “and/or may have happened some years ago”, acting superintendent Mike McIlraith told RNZ.

Far too lax. If you have a criminal record, then getting a firearm licence should be very very difficult.

He said the vetting process for gun licence applications includes “interviewing the applicant and a family referee, usually the spouse, as well as an interview with an [independent] person who knows the applicant well”.

All handpicked by the applicant. A real vetting process would be what the SIS does for top secret clearances. You nominate four or five people, and then the SIS ask them each to nominate another four or five people – that way they get to talk to people not hand picked by the applicant.