A woman has admitted handing a rifle to her terrified nine-year-old daughter and ordering her to shoot the man the girl said had abused her.

Then, when the crying girl refused, her mother threatened to send her away to live with strangers.

The Masterton woman, 26, today pleaded guilty at Masterton District Court to charges of cruelty to a child and unlawful possession of a firearm.

She was granted interim name suppression and will be sentenced in November.

The woman's partner, 27, is also charged with the offences, as well as indecently assaulting the girl.

He has denied all offending and was remanded on bail to reappear in court next month.

Today the court heard how the girl told her mother at Waitangi weekend that the man had abused her.

The following morning the mother, who disbelieved the girl, went to her bedroom and got a rifle from her wardrobe.

She then went outside to the porch and called for her partner and daughter to join her, said Sergeant Gary Wilson.

''While the co-defendant stood in the porch doorway the defendant tried to force the victim to take hold of the firearm while she pointed it at him.

''As she did this she yelled at the victim angrily, 'This [is] your opportunity to shoot him for the things he he [has] done to you', as well as shouting at her again and again 'Shoot him... do it'.''

The girl started crying, saying she did not want to, and later told police she thought the gun could have been loaded, Mr Wilson said.

''The co-defendant then approached them both and whilst the victim was holding the firearm he adjusted something on it causing a ''clicking'' sound, before he took it from her and handed it to the defendant saying 'This will help'.

The mother again tried to force the victim to hold the firearm, but she refused.

At this point the mother grabbed the gun and said she would kill the man herself, Mr Wilson said.

''The defendant also told the victim she was lying, and she would give her away to another family to live with, someone whom she didn't know.''

Later that morning, the woman took the girl to her grandparents' home in South Wairarapa where she has remained.

The mother told police she did not believe her daughter's abuse claims, and intended to scare her daughter to figure out if she was telling the truth.

She also told police she knew it was wrong, but said the victim had the opportunity to kill him but did not take it - so it was her own fault.

Judge Michael Behrens convicted the mother, allowing her to continue supervised visits to the girl.

- © Fairfax NZ News