Rules changes will see a nationally-coordinated approach to dropping 1080 poison in conservation areas, Environment Minister Nick Smith has announced.
The new regulations, approved under the Resource Management Act, would see a uniform set of rules applied for the use of the controversial poison.
The proposal went out for public consultation with 70 per cent of submissions favouring the change. The new national regulations come into effect on April 1.
Smith made the announcement while visiting the Tiritiri Matangi Sanctuary in the Hauraki Gulf as part of National’s annual Bluegreens Forum.
He acknowledged there was opposition to the use of 1080, but said the benefits outweighed the risks.