The Green Party is calling for a full investigation into the swamp kauri export industry in Northland.

Authorities have tightened regulations overseeing the sector after allegations rules banning the export of unfinished kauri wood were being broken.

The Forests Act 1949 bans the export of swamp kauri logs, many of which are tens of thousands of years old, unless they are made into finished timber products.

Measures announced by the Ministry of Primary Industries include more inspections of exports and extraction sites, better data collection, and extra staff being hired to oversee the new systems.

Green MP Eugenie Sage believes the industry takes advantage of loopholes to get around the rules.

"There still needs to be an inquiry as to how come so much swamp kauri has been mined, and why have these exports been allowed by MPI. The law has been clear yet it's been flagrantly breached," Sage said.

Sage alleges MPI Minister Nathan Guy went back on his previous statements that everything was fine and dandy with the industry.

"He's backtracking now with these requirements, but MPI should have been doing this anyway, they should have been inspecting the sites where swamp kauri is mined."

Labour MP Kelvin Davis is critical that excavation sites will be inspected after logs are removed, and not before.

"It's pointless after the event," Davis said. "The amount of damage caused to indigenous plant species is huge. You can't maintain the natural values of any site after the event."

Davis doubts the new regulations will have any effect at all.

"I think things will just carry on as they've been going and basically raw kauri will be exported overseas and all the jobs will go overseas."

Two Northland environmental groups (Northland Environmental Protection Society and the Far North branch of Forest and Bird) lodged a complaint with the Auditor-General in late June this year which also called for an urgent inquiry, saying government agencies turning a blind eye to illegal kauri exports.

Late last year, the same two groups alleged the mining of swamp kauri was driving rare plants to extinction, such as a native sun-orchid. The Far North branch of Forest and Bird called for tougher measures to protect wetland environments.

Forest and Bird claimed kauri mining was degrading Northland's remaining wetlands.

(Additional reporting from NZME News)