A group of gun owners protest as Jacinda Ardern opens an Auckland school.

A group of gun owners have protested outside an Auckland school Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is due to open on Friday.

About 30 protesters were demonstrating across the road from Grey Lynn Primary School in central Auckland as the Prime Minister arrived.

"I just cannot believe the absolute audacity," one onlooker said of the demonstrators.

David White/Stuff Jacinda Ardern was the target of gun owner protests when she attended the opening of Grey Lynn Primary School.

Parent Anna Conaghan said the venue was highly inappropriate for the protest and added: "They better be gone by the time school finishes."

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David White/Stuff A gun owner holds up a protest sign ahead of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern opening Grey Lynn Primary School.

Protester Peter Nisbet said he felt "sick" when he handed in his gun after the March 15 attacks - but he did it anyway.

"My father bought it probably 60 years ago. It was a high-powered semiautomatic four shot."

Nisbet said the gun buyback had cost taxpayers a fortune and every parliamentary party except Act thought "it was a great idea."

MONIQUE FORD/STUFF Police deputy commissioner Mike Clement addressed the embarrassing gun buyback database breach earlier this week.

Ardern was welcomed onto the school grounds at 1pm where children sang for her.



Ardern said she considered the Grey Lynn School community "whanau" and said she felt "humbled" to be present in her capacity as the MP for Mt Albert.

She did not mention the protest.

STACY SQUIRES/STUFF Protesters say a range of gun law changes are concerning - but one group's choice of protest venue has caused condemnation.

The protest was strongly criticised by parents at the school, the Minister of Police, teacher groups and other gun owners.

Conaghan said Ardern's attendance did not justify protesters "pedalling" their message outside a primary school.

Stuff understands protesters had contacted the school and informed the school a demonstration would take place across the road.

SIMON GILLICE Nicole McKee of COLFO says a primary school is the wrong place even for legitimately aggrieved gun owners to protest.

By midday, a group of protesters were on the footpath across the road from the street, waving placards.

The protest website accused police of exposing gun owners' sensitive personal information and trying "to pass the buck for their errors".

Protester Victoria O'Brien said they were regular, law-abiding New Zealanders concerned about the data breach and an erosion of firearms owners' rights.

O'Brien, the New Conservatives firearms spokeswoman, said the data breach was an "absolute betrayal".

She said data breaches put gun owners and their families at risk - and those family members could include children at Grey Lynn School.

The protest prompted stinging criticism from Police Minister Stuart Nash, who said it was "completely inappropriate for this shadowy new gun group to target primary school children as part of their campaign".

"Schools should not be caught up in their agenda," Nash said.

"It's also unclear who's behind this stunt which seems to be deliberately spreading misinformation and using the type of scare tactics favoured by the American-style gun lobby.

"Almost the entire New Zealand Parliament came together to make the changes. All perspectives have been heard as part of the public submission process

"Successive governments have known our gun laws have been broken for decades. It's up to this Parliament to take steps to make the community safer and ensure our firearms laws are fit for purpose."

The NZ Principals' Federation and the Council of Licenced Firearms Owners (COLFO) both told Stuff the primary school protest venue was inappropriate.

"It's poor judgment," a Principals' Federation spokeswoman said on Friday.

She said the federation supported people's right to protest but protesting near a primary school opening celebration was "just not the appropriate course of action".

COLFO distanced itself from the planned protest.

Nicole McKee of COLFO's Fair and Reasonable Campaign said protesters were trying to demonstrate "in a place that they can be seen and heard because they're not getting the ear of the Government".

McKee said she understood the frustration some gun owners felt but a school was the wrong place to demonstrate.

She said the recent database breach "terrified" licenced firearms owners.

COLFO in October warned of buyback database privacy risks after multiple Government data bungles in the health sector, Treasury, and Commerce Commission.

Police Deputy Commissioner Mike Clement on Monday said German vendor SAP made an unauthorised update which gave dealers "a higher level of access to the notifications database".

Clement said a dealer with legitimate access to a platform for the firearm buy-back programme was able to view details of firearms owners.

The Prime Minister's office and Grey Lynn School have been approached for comment.

A school renovation worth a reported $14.6 million was announced three years ago.