Wairoa mayor fuming after multiple trees felled at Mahia

Napier City Councillor Maxine Boag spotted the trees while visiting the area. Photo / Supplied

Wairoa's mayor is fuming after mature trees were chopped town at Mahanga Beach, calling the act disgusting.

Around 10-12 mature trees, orginially reported to Hawke's Bay Today as pohutukawa, but later identified as banksia, have been chopped down at the small beach settlement at the base of Mahia Peninsula.

Mayor Craig Little said he thought it was something police should investigate.

He said the trees provide shade and help combat coastal erosion.

While sometimes the odd tree is vandalised in the area, and a few years ago several nikau palms were poisoned, Little said he had not seen something like this before.

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Wairoa Mayor Craig Little described the act as disgusting. Photo / File

He said he did not believe the trees would have been encroaching on anyone's views and was not sure why anyone would cut them down.

"If they are doing it for their view, maybe they shouldn't be living in such a beautiful area as Mahia.

"They take ages to grow, and it's just crazy."

Napier City Councillor Maxine Boag was visiting the beach when she saw the stumps of 10-12 trees which had been chopped down.

"This is not a random act of vandalism, this is a deliberate targeting of trees that somebody did not want to grow any more.

Around 10-12 pohutukawa have been chopped down near Wairoa. Photo / Supplied

She said she had informed the Wairoa District Council through its after-hours number and had also told the mayor.

"He was as shocked as I am. I hope the police are able to investigate this to stop any further destruction of these beautiful trees which were planted, I believe, to not only beautify and provide shade, but to help protect the sand dunes."

While the behaviour might be unusual in Wairoa, earlier this year Napier saw a spate of tree vandalism.

This included Norfolk pines along Marine Parade being poisoned, Westshore losing three karo trees and large pohutakawa being cut down in Ahuriri.

A police spokesperson said they were unaware of the incident.