Security at the Waiouru Army Museum is under scrutiny again as it admits that two more sets of medals have been missing for some time.
But Army spokesman Kristian Dunne said the loss of inventory was due to an accounting issue, not a security one.
The latest medals loss follows the theft of rifles and other items by a former curator, and the haul of Victoria Crosses and other medals stolen in a smash and grab three years ago.
The missing World War I medals include a set given to the museum by a United States donor in 1984 and another set given in 1979, The Dominion Post reported.
Major Dunne said the two sets of five or six medals were "lost, stolen or misplaced" and had been missing for some time - it could be months or a year.
The museum noticed the medals and other items from its 500,000-item collection were missing after conducting an inventory check last November.
The museum called the police after conducting its own investigation, but is now working on replacing the medals. Since then, a new accounting and receipting procedure has been put in place. It ensures new items are stored in the museum's electronic inventory system in a timely manner, said Major Dunne.
"It will be more effective in terms of item accounting, ensuring that there are more regular checks in place of each area in the museum," he said.
Curators are also doing scheduled inventory checks.
Major Dunne said that when the museum opened in 1978 it was manned by military staff who had little or no experience in running a museum. The electronic inventory system was introduced in 1994, but it could take years before all the collection was archived, he said.
