Mature redwood trees at the end of Hawkings Cres will soon be felled after a decision by the Far North District Council’s chief executive. Photo / Jenny Ling
Mature redwood trees at the end of Hawkings Cres will soon be felled after a decision by the Far North District Council’s chief executive. Photo / Jenny Ling
Far North ratepayers will be footing the bill for more than 200 mature redwood trees to be felled after they were deemed an “unacceptable risk” to life and property.
The Far North District Council [FNDC] recently announced that two stands of mature redwood trees in central Kerikeri would beremoved after a decision by council chief executive Guy Holroyd.
His decision came after a WorkSafe review of a near-miss during ex-tropical Cyclone Tam in April, during which a Kerikeri Retirement Village gardener had to run for his life when a 30m redwood fell on to his gardening shed.
FNDC delivery and operations group manager Ruben Garcia said the council was “now setting up the project” to fell the 90-year-old trees, which are in reserve areas along Wendywood Lane and Hawkings Cres.
This included getting competitive quotes from specialist arboricultural contractors, preparing traffic management plans, and finalising health and safety measures for the site, he said.
“The cost will be met from the council’s vegetation-control budget as an unbudgeted expense—the exact figure will be reported once procurement is complete.”
FNDC Deputy Mayor Kelly Stratford said there wouldn’t be a rates increase because of the project, but the cost would fall on ratepayers.
“This year, people are already being rated for the cost of that to be done.”
The redwoods are being removed after they were deemed a risk to life and property. Photo / Jenny Ling
The trees were planted in the 1940s as shelterbelts for adjacent farmland but are now surrounded by urban development, including shops and the Kerikeri Retirement Village.
The decades-old debate over keeping or felling the trees was revived in 2007 after a storm sent a branch crashing through a retirement village window.
Feelings over the trees run high. When 15 of them were cut down in 2010, a contractor’s car was rammed, and police were called.
In 2013, Kerikeri Retirement Village Trust asked the Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Community Board forpermission to fell 142 redwoods on the Hawkings Cres council reserve.
The trust developed a plan to fell the trees and plant the reserve in grass at no cost to the council or ratepayers.
The cost of that work was previously estimated at up to $100,000.
However, the request was knocked back, because members of the community board voted to reject it after public submissions.
Instead, an annual inspection regime was put in place.
The trees were planted in the 1940s as shelterbelts for adjacent farmland but are now surrounded by urban development. Photo / Jenny Ling
Stratford, who was on the community board at the time, said it was “hard to say” whether it was a missed opportunity.
“Based on the information we had back then, when we were going through this process ... the weather events weren’t as frequent, or as significant as they are today.
“As time has gone on, the health of these trees has become more of a risk to people walking through the walkway that connects the school to the road and to neighbouring properties.”
Stratford said there used to be about 300 trees, but over time “some have come down”.
“They’ve either fallen down or, through council monitoring, have had to be removed, according to the arborist’s report.”
“I fully tautoko his position in dealing with this.
“I feel for those that are sad about the history of the town by losing the redwoods, but there will be more trees.”
Stratford said the area would be replanted with natives or “suitable trees that aren’t going to fall on neighbouring properties or people walking through”.
There “has been talk” about how the trees can be used, with hopes some of the costs could be recouped, Stratford said.
Garcia said several end-use options for the felled timber were being explored with community groups and industry partners, but no decision had been made.
Work will begin as soon as a contractor is appointed and weather conditions allow, he said.
“The community will be advised of confirmed dates in advance.”
Jenny Ling is a senior journalist at the Northern Advocate. She has a special interest in covering human interest stories, along with finance, roading, and animal welfare issues.
