An independent review has found the police response in the 48 hours after the Christchurch mosque attack was "exemplary" but gave more than 70 recommendations where improvements could be made.
Police released the findings of the review carried out by a panel including retired NSW Deputy Commissioner Nick Kaldas, Victoria University of Wellington's Jeff Ashford, and former Solicitor General Michael Heron QC on Wednesday, the day after the Royal Commission of Inquiry publicly released its findings into the attack.
"We want to be as open and transparent as possible about how we conducted our operation," Police Commissioner Andrew Coster said in a statement. "We haven't released the review until now out of respect for the justice process and because we didn't want to pre-empt the findings of the Royal Commission."
The findings of the report have revealed some police staff on the day felt they didn't understand the counter-terrorism environment they were in. As a result of that finding, one of the recommendations was for a basic awareness programme on counter-terrorism so police can "be more cautiously sceptical and operationally ready".
It was also found there weren't adequate numbers of staff members to handle inquiries from victims' families.
"Consideration should be given to allowing people to send text messages to the emergency number rather than ringing," the review says.
"The demand for information should not be underestimated, and practical approaches should be developed to deliver that information."
According to the review, police should have been working in a multi-agency environment.
"Effective communication with wider Government and external agencies is achieved through the establishment of clear structures."
However, the review notes the event was unprecedented and commended the police on that "resources were compiled quickly to assist those who were available".
The review has been welcomed by the police who say they will engage with the Muslim community on how the recommendations are implemented.
Coster acknowledged the pain caused by March 15.
"We know this was a deeply distressing time for all the families involved," he said. "We were conscious of these sensitivities and we worked hard to address them."
The review comes after the Royal Commission found New Zealand's gun licencing was "lax" and "open to easy exploitation" before the mosque attack, something Coster apologised for on Tuesday.
"We accept that, in trying to assess whether the individual was fit and proper to hold a firearms license, we could have done more to consider whether the two referees knew the individual well enough to serve as referees," he said.
