The New Zealand government faced a significant public relations crisis in late June when Conservation Minister Tama Potaka was forced to scrap a proposal that would have eased restrictions on selling or exchanging conservation land. Newly released official documents show the minister and his department scrambling to counter growing claims that the changes would lead to a "free-for-all" on the disposal of precious protected areas. The proposal had sparked intense opposition from conservation groups, who argued that vast swathes of the conservation estate could become eligible for sale or exchange under the new rules.