Mr Bush said the change, meaning all frontline staff would carry Tasers, was about enhancing the safety of New Zealand communities and police staff.
Hawke's Bay officer and New Zealand Police Association vice president Luke Shadbolt said police were called to volatile domestic situations "extremely frequently", in households where numerous items were potential weapons. Assaults on police also happened far too often, at an average of at least once a week in the area.
He said he had been in situations where staff had taken Tasers out and the situations had been able to be resolved without injury to police or any others involved, and without the Taser being activated.
"The staff are very happy with the approach taken by the commissioner," he said.
"It is a great deterrent."
Currently, frontline officers access Tasers from a lockbox in police vehicles when required, but so long as they have had correct training, officers will be able to carry the implements as "level-one responders" at all times.
The reality was that police officers often entered into risky situations, Mr Shadbolt said. "With Taser immediately accessible, this provides added confidence for our staff and communities that if a situation does escalate into violence ... our officers have appropriate tools to manage the situation.
"Their working environment often involves entering high-risk situations.
"Immediate accessibility of the Taser provides them with added confidence they can safely de-escalate violent situations. Officers have also cited examples where the Taser has proved a life-saving alternative to a firearm."
Police Association president Greg O'Connor said: "This is a relatively safe tool. Safer than most other options."
However, University of Auckland School of Nursing senior lecturer Dr Anthony O'Brien said the use of Tasers needed "careful monitoring".
"The perception of the Taser as safe may lead to increased use."
