Waikato Regional Council says all consent applications for the use of 1080 poison are processed according to Resource Management Act (RMA) rules.
A conservation group, the Upper Coromandel Landcare Association, is challenging applications from two helicopter companies seeking 10 and 20-year resource consent renewals to carry out aerial drops of 1080.
Association spokesperson Reihana Robinson says if the council approves the applications, they should be issued for only one year at a time, and the companies should be required to give public notice before every 1080 drop.
The council says it follows the RMA statutory requirements for processing applications with each consent processed on its own merits, and previous approvals not regarded as a precedent.
