Police do ducks a favour

A lot of would-be duck shooters won't be doing this on Saturday thanks to firearms licensing delays. Photo / Hawke's Bay Today

A lot of ducks will survive Saturday's opening day, and the season that follows, thanks to "unacceptable" delays by the police in processing firearms licensing applications according to Act MP Nicole McKee.

"Police put out a press release this week claiming they are making 'significant progress' in clearing application delays, but figures obtained by Act show thousands of people are waiting months for both new applications and licence renewals," McKee said.

"Police have said the most helpful thing to do is apply four months in advance, but the figures we obtained show almost 5000 applications have taken longer than six months, and 1382 have taken 12 months or longer."

New Zealand had a proud tradition of hunting and shooting, she said, and the duck shooting season was for many people a chance to bond with friends or mates and provide food for the family.

"Law-abiding firearms licence holders in New Zealand have put up with a lot under this government.

"They've been vilified by many, and have handed back firearms that they only ever used responsibly. Now, as further punishment, many will miss out on duck hunting.

"After our nation's tragedy in Christchurch we needed to get better at vetting. Now the system is more broken than ever."

Police figures show 8179 applicants had waited a month or longer, 6164 four months or more, 4915 six months or longer, 2005 10 months or longer, and 1382 a year or longer .