Newshub can reveal that the Prime Minister has received multiple threats from anti-1080 extremists - including at least one threatening her life.
Violence and threats of violence by the fringe protesters have spiked, and Jacinda Ardern says she has serious concerns for the safety of Department of Conservation (DoC) workers.
A peaceful anti-1080 protest was held down the road from the Labour Party conference over the weekend, well away from Ms Ardern and her family.
She told Newshub she's received at least one death threat from anti-1080 extremists.
"I've had some incidents that I've been made aware of, but to be honest some of my greater concern is with those on the front line who receive these threats a bit more directly and a bit more personally."
- What is 1080, and why do people oppose it?
- 1080 works, but there's no arguing with anti-1080 activists - expert
- Ban 1080 protesters descend upon Parliament
One person posted on DoC's Facebook page warned that if their own daughter was poisoned by 1080, "I myself will find each of you DoC muppets and slaughter the skin off your faces and have you living inches before death."
Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage says anti-1080 extremists have engaged in not just threats, but potentially deadly action.
"Threats of death, of tampering with vehicles, shooting down helicopters, putting wires across valleys to bring helicopters down - they're completely unacceptable."
Threats and harassment against DoC staff have shot up this year. In January, five incidents were recorded. That number peaked at 93 incidents last month, but DoC is being more robust in its reporting.
Ms Ardern says the Government welcomes protest, but it's gone too far.
"When we see that tip into violence or threats of violence against people working on the front line and doing their job, then that concerns me."
False information is increasingly used to further the anti-1080 cause, such as pictures of dead kiwi that were actually killed by dogs and cars and the notorious dead birds dumped at Parliament with no traces of 1080 in their systems.
"They are spreading fake news about the impact of 1080," says Ms Sage.
It might be fake news, but the threats are very real.
Newshub.
