'It sucks': Large and 'beautiful' tree felled by vandals in Napier

A tree felled after being attacked by vandals on a reserve off Westminster Ave, Tamatea. Photo/Napier City Council

Social media followers, who often condemn the Napier City Council, are getting in behind the council and police to try to end a spate of illegal tree fellings on city reserves.

The latest attacks, on a reserve off Westminster Ave, Tamatea, were highlighted on Wednesday on the council's Facebook page.

"We don't enjoy writing these posts, not at all," the council said. "But last night (Tuesday) someone had a crack sawing through a large banksia off Westminster Ave in Tamatea. It's a lovely walk: it was a lovely tree."

The vandal managed to get halfway through, and high winds overnight "finished the job", the post said.

It was the latest of at least of what could now be at least five attacks on trees on Napier reserves since November last year, and the council's social media team expressed the disdain of staff by saying: "It sucks."

The council, itself dealing with the felling of some staff through illness on top of staff on leave during the school holidays, was understood to have learned of further incidents in the Maraenui area.

Two pohutukawa were lost after being attacked off Pandora Rd, Ahuriri about a fortnight ago and early one morning last November one tree was sawn on the Chambers St reserve and another on the Te Awa Ave frontage of nearby Napier Boys' High School.

The Council has also lost 10 young Norfolk pines which had been poisoned alongside State Highway 2 between Marine Parade and Awatoto and says any information which could be linked to the incidents should be reported immediately to the council or to police.

Comments posted on the council facebook page were mainly condemning, including "how sick", "totally sucks", "this is absolutely ridiculous. What kind of person just goes and cuts a tree down like that. How utterly disappointing".