Australian national Brenton Harrison Tarrant was jailed for life without parole in August this year after previously pleading guilty to 51 charges of murder, the attempted murder of another 40 people and one terrorism charge after he opened fire at two Christchurch mosques in March 2019.
Just 15 days after landing in New Zealand, he took his first step towards obtaining a firearms licence by paying the application fee.
Four days later, he undertook and passed the required Firearms Safety Course.
He was then required to provide two referees – one of whom needed to be a near relative.
The terrorist identified his sister Lauren Tarrant and a gaming friend who he'd played online games with over a decade but had only been physically in the company of for about 21 days over that entire period.
But New Zealand Police did not accept his sister as a referee because she was in Australia and could not be spoken to in person.
In the end, the gaming friend's parent was added as a referee.
On October 4, 2017, a Dunedin-based vetting officer visited Tarrant at his Somerville St home, interviewed him and inspected his storage facilities.
Tarrant said he wanted a firearms licence so he could go hunting, target shooting, and sport shooting – a common explanation for applicants in New Zealand, police say.
He claimed to be a responsible person, not having any enemies, and had "now met people at pistol and rifle clubs".
The vetting officer recorded that Tarrant "did not show any unusual behaviour during the visit or interview" and recommended that his application be approved.
The referees were then interviewed by a different, Waikato-based vetting officer at their home on October 30 in 2017 and November 2 in 2017. Neither referee disclosed "anything adverse" about Tarrant and vouched for him as being a "fit and proper person".
But the gaming friend, the inquiry found, was "well aware" of Tarrant's extremist political opinions and that he was racist and Islamophobic. They did not tell the vetting officer.
It was also revealed that the gaming friend was known to police and NZ Customs having been caught trying to import a knuckleduster knife - considered an offensive weapon - in 2014, and a year later, four firearms parts without the necessary permits. He had been given a verbal warning by police and the items were seized.
The former Dunedin District Arms Officer approved the licence application on November 16 in 2017. On December 4 of that year with his new licence having arrived, Tarrant bought his first firearm.
On the day of the massacre, the murderer had six firearms including semi-automatic shotguns and two military-style semi-automatic rifles along with "a large amount" of ammunition and four "incendiary devices" he planned to use to burn down the mosques when he finished shooting.
The inquiry found "insufficient attention" was given to whether the gaming friend and their parent knew Tarrant well enough to be appropriate referees.
And the commission concluded that the police administration of the firearms licensing system "did not meet required standards".
"The reasons for this include a lack of guidance and training for licensing staff and incomplete guidance for dealing with applications where nominated referees cannot be interviewed in person," the report says.
It was also critical of "lax, open to easy exploitation" gun laws, especially around the regulation of semi-automatic firearms.
The former personal trainer gym enthusiast used steroids to bulk up and was solely focused on planning and preparing his attack, the inquiry found. He was isolated and avoided social situations.
"For the more than 18 months he lived in New Zealand preparing for the terrorist attack, he remained resolutely focused, attempting to maintain operational security from which there were only limited lapses," the report notes.
While living in New Zealand, he made at least 14 donations to far right and anti-immigration groups and individuals, including AU$2,308.97 directly to Identitarian Movement Austria's leader Martin Sellner.
Tarrant joined the Otago Shooting Sports Rifle and Pistol Club in February 2018, but only visited twice after becoming a member of Bruce Rifle Club where he shot more than 27 times.
While generally described by gun club members as polite and courteous, not talking much, if at all, about politics.
But a few members raised aspects of his behaviour, which with hindsight, may be significant, including the fact he usually shot while standing up and went through a large amount of ammunition.
His primary interests appeared to be firing at extremely fast rates and changing magazines quickly, the told the inquiry.
