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Forest and Bird is devastated by what it calls the government's disregard for rare wetlands in its latest update to the Essential Freshwater 2020 regulations.
The update removes protections that prevented further destruction of wetlands, with the changes providing consent pathways for industries like landfills, skifields, water storage and coal mines.
However, no new mines are permitted.
Forest and Bird's freshwater spokesperson Tom Kay spoke to Māni Dunlop.