Dozens of Christchurch gun owners have handed over their weapons in exchange for cash in the first of more than 250 planned buyback events.

Police say they paid more than NZ$200,000 New Zealand (€119,000) to 68 gun owners in the first couple of hours of the Saturday event.

Politicians in the country hastily introduced 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 NA$200 to buy back weapons such as AR-15 style rifles.

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

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