In Otago and Southland, 112,459 (34 per cent) of people have an alert against their name.
The most common alert is "Vetting Monitor", at 740,000 alerts on 570,000 people nationally.
Police general manager professionalism and assurance Mike Webb said this alert was placed on people to indicate they had been checked out by the police vetting service.
Alerts for "Family Violence Involvement" were the next most commonly applied, at 640,000 active alerts on 295,000 people.
Webb said people were automatically flagged when linked to a family harm incident, whether as a suspected offender, victim or a witness.
The third most frequently applied alert was a flag for people whose photo driver licence card was cancelled (430,000).
Some alerts expire quickly, but others linger for life.
Police assurance group national crime registrar Mike Rawsthorn said the "Missing Person" alert expired when the person was found.
Flags for family violence involvement expire two years after police attend the incident, he said.
But alerts for suicidal tendency and using/carrying firearms are indefinite, and only expire if they were errors.
Locations and vehicles can also be flagged, for example gang pads or stolen vehicles - one of the more colourful flags in the extensive list is the location alert for "booby traps".
Firearms licence flags are generated and applied automatically, only expiring with the licence, and non-citizens can be flagged.
The upshot of that is there is every chance the Christchurch terror accused had an alert against his name.
Generally people were not notified when an alert was placed against their name in the NIA system, but each case was judged on its merits.
However, at-risk family violence victims might be informed an alert was placed on them, their home, vehicle and telephone number to advise staff of the risk and assist police response, Rawsthorn said.
The NIA alert system plays an important part in the duties of frontline police.
When deployed to an unfolding incident, a call will come over the radio to advise officers of the flags of the person or location involved so they can respond accordingly.
For example, if a person has flags for assaulting police, they may call for backup on a routine traffic stop.
The system is also accessible from police mobile phones.
The intelligence application, which replaced NZ Police's Whanganui Computer, is far more than just a database of flags and includes information on criminal histories, offences, incidents and case management files.
Since it became operational in 2001, there have been several instances of police misusing the system.
In August 2009, figures showed 33 staff had been caught making unauthorised checks of the NIA since August 2007, The NZ Herald reported.
Nine later resigned.
Two years later, a police internal investigation found Senior Constable Terry Beatson leaked information from the system to win a custody battle with his wife's ex-husband, opening the man's file 17 times in four years.
There have also been repeated instances of police improperly accessing a database in the South in recent years.
Among the at least 82 allegations of general misconduct upheld against officers in Otago and Southland since 2015 was the case of an Otago officer who was investigated regarding the attempted suicide of a person in custody in 2015, before being subject to another probe in 2016 for "unauthorised use of a database".
The investigations upheld both allegations, according to earlier information provided to the ODT under the Official Information Act.
Reactions to the revelations about the extent of police flagging of New Zealanders were mixed.
Privacy Commissioner John Edwards would not be interviewed, but spokesman Charles Mabbett said in an email the commission had no general concerns about the NIA, but would look into specific issues with it should it become aware of them.
Massey University security studies lecturer Rhys Ball, a former NZ Security Intelligence Service intelligence officer, said an issue with the system was its sheer volume of material, and whether police were sufficiently resourced to manage and use the intelligence in a timely way.
"As they say, too much data is akin to pouring a cup of water with a fire hose."
Security analyst Paul Buchanan said the system raised privacy issues.
"Although I understand the legitimacy of most of the tags and the necessity of flagging victims or people at risk from domestic violence ... the flag system in the NIA seems to be a very broad net in a very small pond."
Police said the "HIV (AIDS) Carrier or Positive" alert was only added to individuals in police custody who have "self-identified" as part of the routine health screening and risk assessment, and it was not linked to medical records.
Dr Buchanan said while his concerns about the flags for HIV/AIDS and hepatitis were somewhat allayed by this, he remained concerned about privacy issues behind some of the flags, and the length of time they were applied.
"While many are legit and justifiable, others seem arbitrary and overly broad, [for example] the tag "other" in some categories."
New Zealand AIDS Foundation chief executive Jason Myers said it was previously unaware of the existence of the HIV/Aids alert, but he hoped it would not add to the stigmatisation of those living with the disease.
"People living with HIV should not generally be identified as a `risk' because of their HIV status alone."
Find your flags
Anyone can ask police to supply the alerts against their name as per Principle 6 of the Privacy Act. You will require two forms of ID and can make the request online or in person at a police station.
Person Alerts
AA Plan Intervention Curfew
Alcohol & Drug Addiction Act Order/s
Alcohol Interlock device required
Arsonist
Breaches Court Bail
Breaches EM Bail
Breaches Police Bail
CAPPS Alert
Child Abuser (Physical)
Child Abuser (Sexual)
Child Sex Offender
CJP Referral User Failed to Complete
Committed To Psychiatric Hospital
Convicted Murderer
Court Orders (Other)
CYP Family Group Conference Restrictions
CYP Subject of Custody Order (S101/102 OT Act 1989)
CYP Subject of Place of Safety Warrant
CYP Voluntary Curfew
CYP Voluntary Disqualification
CYP Voluntary Non Association
CYP Voluntary Prohibition
Dementia / Alzheimer's Disease
Deported / Removed from New Zealand
DNA Application Filed
DNA Data bank Compulsion Notice (DCN) Issued and Served
DNA Databank Compulsion Notice Candidate
DNA Hit
Domestic Violence Act Protection Orders
Drug Cultivator
Drug Manufacturer
Drug Supplier
Drug User
E M Bail
E M Bail User Approved Variation
Escapes from Custody
Family Safety Team Intervention Subject
Family Violence High Risk
Family Violence Involvement
Financial Intelligence Held
Fines Warrant
Fingerprint Hit
Firearms Endorsement Breach
Firearms Licence Breach
Firearms Licence Expired
Firearms Licence Holder
Forbidden to Drive Medical review to be undertaken by NZTA
Gang Alert
Health (Other)
Hepatitis Positive
High Risk Offender
HIV (AIDS) Carrier or Positive
Home Detention
Imprisoned
Imprisoned Overseas
Indefinite Disqualification
Intelligence Information Required / Held
Licensed Premises Manager / Licensee
Liquor Licensing Officer Information
Medically / physically unable to provide blood specimen S60(3C) LTA
Mental Health
Missing
Multi Agency High Risk
Multiple Traffic Warnings
Offender Management Plan in Place
Other (Specify)
Overseas Conviction
Paedophile
Parole Recall Warrant
Partial Disqualification
Photo Driver Licence Card Cancelled
Police Recruit Applicant
Police Restrictions
Police Safety Order Breached
Police Safety Order Breached / Person Wanted
Police Safety Order Service
Police Safety Order Wanted for Service
Pornographer
Prisoner to be Released
PSPPI Certificate of Approval Application
PSPPI Certificate of Approval Issued
PSPPI Licence Application
PSPPI Licence Issued
PSPPI Temporary Certificate of Approval Issued
Receiver
Registered Child Sex Offender
Release Conditions
Required to Arrest
Required to be Located/Intelligence Required
Restraining Order Person
Returning Overseas Offender
Revoked, Disqualified, Suspended
Road Safety Target
Roadside Suspension Forbidden
Roadside Suspension Forbidden to operate. No Transport Service Licence
Roadside Suspension Incorrect licence class
Roadside Suspension Temporary
Scrap Metal Receiver
Scrap Metal Thief
Self Harm
Suicidal Tendency
Suspended DLSO
Tagger
Temporarily Released Prisoner
Temporary Licence Suspension
Threat
Trespass
Truant
Under Court Ordered Prohibition Order
Updated Address Required for Service of Medical Revocation
Use of Force - TOR
Uses / Carries Firearms
Uses or Carries Knife / Other Weapon
Vetting Monitor
Victim Intervention Plan in place
Violence - Assaults Police/Law Enforcement Officer
Violence - (Other)
VOVO Act Non Contact Order Victim
VOVO Non Contact Order Offender
Wanted for Service of Demerit Points Suspension Notice
Wanted for service of demerit points suspension or medical suspension / revocation
Wanted for Service of Summons / Other Document
Wanted for Service of Suspension Letter
Wanted to Interview
Warrant to Arrest
Zero alcohol level allowed
Location alerts
Booby Traps
Business Location of the Holder of a dealer firearms Licence
Clan Lab Address
Criminal Rehabilitation
Dangerous Dogs
Domestic Violence Act Protection Orders
Drug Manufacturing House
Drug Rehabilitation
Family Violence
Firearms Licensing Alerts
Firearms stored at location of the holder of a firearms licence endorsement
Fortified Property
FV Alarm Fitted Do NOT Disclose
Gang Address (Pad)
Home Detention
Housing NZ Property
Intelligence information required / held
Juvenile Halfway House
Known Drug Dealer / Tinnie House
Linked Person Alert
Other (Specify)
Psychiatric Rehabilitation
Radio Transmission / Mobility Coverage Impaired
Security Location of Firearms Licence Holder Threatened Witness Residence
Trespass Order
Under Camera Surveillance by Occupants
Uses Radio Scanners
Violence Used against Police in Past
Organisation Alerts
Closure of Licensed Premises
Fines Warrant
Important Information
Intelligence Information Required / Held
Members Violent
Other (Specify)
Person Safety Alert
PSPPI Licence Application
PSPPI Licence Issued
Roadside Suspension Forbidden to operate. No Transport Service Licence
Threat
Vehicle Alerts
Vehicle Abandoned
Vehicle Blue Sticker s248 LTA
Vehicle Breach of Cruising Bylaw
Vehicle Damaged / Wrecked / Written Off
Vehicle Driver Forbidden to Drive
Vehicle Driver known to supply False Information
Vehicle Forged
Vehicle Found
Vehicle Green - Discretionary issued under sec 115(2A)
Vehicle Green - Issued for defects
Vehicle Green - Issued under section 96(1B) for Illegal Street Racing
Vehicle Important Information
Vehicle Impounded
Vehicle Known to be driven by Child Abuser
Vehicle Known to be driven by Disqualified Driver
Vehicle Known to be driven under the influence of Drugs or Alcohol
Vehicle Known to be Used for Breaching Driving Hours
Vehicle Located Stolen Vehicle
Vehicle Organisation Safety Alert
Vehicle Other (Specify)
Vehicle Person Safety Alert
Vehicle Petrol Drive off
Vehicle Pink Sticker
Vehicle Repossessed
Vehicle Seized
Vehicle Sought
Vehicle Stolen
Vehicle Surrendered
Vehicle Towed
Vehicle Under Observation
Vehicle Wrecked
Vehicle Written off - Insurance Company
