NZ Defence Force personnel boarding a Hercules plane. File photo.
Photo: Supplied / Ministry of Defence
In the seven years since 2014 it has done just one audit of the controls, with just a single briefing to the minister.
When it tried to do a new audit last year, law changes tripped it up.
The last audit in 2016 found shortcomings and shortcuts that had to be fixed, such as staff not tracking some of the most highly hazardous substances, and risk management that was "poor" or ignored.
The five-year gap in audits coincides with revelations about contamination around bases with heavy metals, so-called 'forever' chemicals linked to cancer, and investigations costing taxpayers millions of dollars.