Referee officers were a patchwork attempt to make up for the loss of a dedicated referee assigner-no they didn't carry guns ,although some of them with their inconsistent work ethics should have done!
.Remember NZ is one of the few places where police officers are not armed while on ordinary duty.
Am not in NZ anymore- now Canberra Australia.The referee in your original post is Travis(WNBL/NBL official who I evaluate locally.