Police have admitted they "don't always get it right" after an officer's Taser use was deemed "excessive and unjustified".
An Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA's) report released Thursday found while the officer initially used the weapon in defence, they proceeded to use it again while the offender was compliant.
On July 13, 2017, the armed offenders squad (AOS) surrounded two houses in Kawhia where meth was believed to be in production.
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A man came out of one of the houses and refused to follow police's instructions, so officers used dogs and a Taser to apprehend him.
While their initial actions were found to be justified, continued use of the Taser after a first discharge was not, as the man had already started to follow police instructions by that point.
"Police were justified in using police dogs to apprehend the man, who was clearly drug-affected, and presented a threat to the officers," IPCA chair Judge Colin Doherty said.
"Officer C was justified in using a Taser to defend himself initially, but was not justified in firing his Taser two more times."
New Zealand Police acknowledged the ruling, admitting its officers "don't always get it right, but when we get it wrong we work to ensure we learn from it".
"We acknowledge that the officer who discharged the Taser considered a range of factors, however we accept the finding that the use of force was not proportionate after the first use," said Waikato District Commander Supt Bruce Bird.
"Our staff work in a dynamic environment and regularly have to make difficult decisions in seconds."
Last week the IPCA found police used excessive force when they Tasered a man lying on the ground after already having been shocked once, in February 2017.
Supt Bird said it's clear police "have work to do" around communication and coordination.
Newshub.
