New Zealand's solicitor-general has ruled that 12 environmental activists arrested last month cannot be charged under anti-terrorism laws.
David Collins said the 2002 legislation was "unnecessarily complex, incoherent" and almost impossible to apply.
The men, mainly Maori, were arrested in raids on both North and South Island on suspicion of planning a violent campaign against the white majority.
The men still face possible charges of illegal use and possession of weapons.
Hundreds of people mounted protests against the arrests across New Zealand, claiming those taken into custody were political prisoners.
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