New Zealand begins first round of gun buybacks after Christchurch attack

 Dozens of Christchurch gun owners have handed over their weapons in exchange for money, in the first of more than 250 planned buyback events around New Zealand after the government outlawed many types of semi-automatics.

Police said they paid more than $NZ430,000 ($A410,000) to 169 gun owners during the event. The money was paid directly into the bank accounts of gun owners.

New Zealand MPs in April rushed through new legislation to ban so-called military-style weapons after a lone gunman killed 51 people at two Christchurch mosques in March.

The government has set aside more than NZ$200 million ($A191 million) to buy back weapons such as AR-15 style rifles, although many gun owners remain unhappy with the compensation on offer.

Under an amnesty, gun owners have until December to turn over their now-banned weapons.

Police said at least 14,000 guns around the country are banned under the new legislation. There are an estimated 1 million to 1.5 million guns in New Zealand and 250,000 licensed gun owners.

Under the buyback scheme, gun owners are compensated between 25 per cent and 95 per cent of the pre-tax price of a new gun, depending on the condition of their weapon.