Figures released under the Official Information Act show police conducted a stocktake of their public order policing equipment in February during the Convoy 2022 protests at Parliament.
At the time, police had 251 complete sets of protective riot gear, 205 long shields, 240 round shields and only 131 extra helmets.
Over the course of the protests, about 171 officers from the Southern district were deployed.
About 620 officers were deployed across front-line and support roles when officers moved in to clear protesters on March 2.
In the ensuing riot, 119 officers were injured with 35 requiring medical attention.
A total of 72 assaults on police staff were reported, 49 of which resulted in injury and nine officers requiring hospital care.
Of those admitted to hospital, two received leg injuries from bricks thrown by protesters.
Four received head injuries, three of which were caused by thrown bricks.
Police Association president Chris Cahill said he was aware of two officers dealing with the lingering after effects of concussion from March 2.
A lack of appropriate protective gear was one of the things the association had raised with the Independent Police Conduct Authority’s inquiry into the police response.
"The reality was there wasn’t enough shields, or certainly helmets, for all the staff that were required. It sort of points to the fact police haven’t really had a situation like this for such a long time that they’ve taken their eye off the ball," Mr Cahill said.
The 100 complete sets of riot gear that had been purchased since the protests was unlikely to be sufficient, as large protests seemed to be an increasing trend globally.
He understood police did not want to risk escalating tensions by sending police officers wearing armour at the start of the operation on March 2, but lessons had to be learnt and officers kept safe.
"You would have liked to think they had obtained everything from the country when they executed the operation, but my understanding is that some equipment was still waiting to arrive in Wellington," Mr Cahill said.
A police spokeswoman said the events of March 2 and the preceding protest action remained under review by the IPCA, included police preparation in its response to the protest.
The scope would encompass the equipment and technology provided to officers at the protest.
The report was expected next year, the spokeswoman said.
