By 3 News online staff
Exporters of ancient swamp kauri have been "testing" how much they can change the product before it becomes exportable, and the Ministry for Primary Industries isn't allowing it to illegally leave New Zealand, the Auditor-General says.
Lyn Provost has released her report into the controversial practice of exporting the wood after Forest and Bird and the Northland Environmental Protection Society asked for a formal inquiry.
Pressure was put on the industry, mostly based in Northland, this year and came under criticism because large cuts of the sometimes 50,000-year-old trees had ended up overseas.
It is currently illegal to export raw logs, however stumps and finished products can be sent overseas.
Photos emerged and claims were made by local iwi and environment groups that some of the items were sent abroad through a legal loophole, including logs being superficially scrapped and sold as Maori carvings.
In July, the Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy announced a suite of measures to tighten the rules around exporting the products.
Before those changes were made, Ms Provost received the request for an inquiry, with her findings made public today.
A number of senior ministry staff were spoken to in relation to the inquiry, with documents and other relevant information also used.
Ms Provost says the ministry is "comfortable" exported products meet legislative standards, but says the definition of a finished product can be interpreted in different ways.
"It is clear to us that some exporters have tried testing the level of modification required before swamp kauri can be exported. However, we have seen no evidence that the ministry is allowing the export of illegal timber.
"We have seen evidence that the ministry or AsureQuality declines export approval if a product does not meet their definition of the regulatory requirements," she says.
There also seemed to be confusion about what constitutes a manufactured or finished product, and the ministry says it intends to produce public information about what a finished product can be.
