The police are refusing to say if they plan to let front-line officers use sponge bullets to deal with violent offenders.
The weapons are designed to be non-lethal but have sparked outrage in the US where police have fired them at Black Lives Matter protesters causing serious injuries.
One criminologist says such weapons represent the militarisation of police.
Hamish Cardwell has more.
Police said in a statement that the Armed Offenders Squad and Special Tactics Group would continue to carry sponge rounds, and the weapons are under consideration as part the force's "broad tactical capability".
RNZ asked the Police Minister Stuart Nash on the potential to expand the use of the weapons and was told in a statement that "no such proposal is in front of the Minister, and he would expect to be consulted if there was such a proposal in the future".
