Rules for using the products were changed the day before police cleared out hundreds of protesters who gathered to protest against Covid-19 restrictions as part of the Convoy 2022 event.
Correspondence between police and its pepper spray supplier Sabre Red, released under the Official Information Act, show police rushed to procure more pepper spray following the first unsuccessful attempt by officers to remove protesters on February 10.
On February 15, police co-ordinator deployable assets Senior Sergeant Patrick Hannon said he had been "asked to investigate the possibility of sourcing Mk-60 units and refills at short notice".
He requested 10 live units and 60 refills of the Mk-60 product due to "evolving protest activity" at Parliament grounds, as the executive was seeking advice on the availability of such a resource, he said.
The Mk-60 is described by Sabre Red as a "high-volume streamer" which weighs about 1.5 kg and can be deployed at distances of up to about 10 m.
The product has not been operationally deployed or approved for use by police in New Zealand, but the emails referenced two units that were already in the possession of police.
A request form for pepper spray gel or foam was filed the next day by another officer, asking for "as many as possible [units of any type] due to significant number of staff deployed" to be acquired as essential gear, as soon as possible and with a high priority.
Pepper spray in a thicker form is preferred in some circumstances because it can go further and can be more closely directed.
On March 1, the day before officers moved in to clear protesters on Parliament grounds, the rules for using pepper spray were changed.
A new larger capacity product, the Sabre Red Mk-9, which weighs about 0.5kg and can be used at a distance of up to 10m, was introduced and 200 were bought.
Instead of pepper spray not being used in crowded situations "as a general rule", the new rules said pepper spray could be used against more than one person at a time "where the circumstances justify its deployment".
The obligations of police to provide aftercare, by decontaminating and avoiding positional asphyxia, were also changed from "must" to "must if the circumstances allow".
Video shot on the final day of the occupation shows police using the Mk-9 to shoot streams of gel at protesters, over the top of police using riot shields.
A police spokeswoman said the use of pepper spray at the Parliament occupation formed part of the ongoing IPCA review, so police could not comment further.
