Far North residents call for council action on overgrown Kerikeri footpaths

Kevin is frustrated with overgrown hedges and vegetation encroaching on footpaths in Kerikeri. Photo / Jenny Ling

Overgrown vegetation encroaching on Far North footpaths has sparked safety concerns from frustrated residents.

Kerikeri resident Kevin said the hedges along Inlet Rd had become so bushy in places that they are growing over half of the footpath, and branches were hanging well below head height.

Kevin, who didn’t want his surname published, said many people used the popular pathway, including school children and international visitors walking the Te Araroa trail.

“The council should be doing something.

“When it rains, the branches get heavy and drop even further.

“You just about need a wetsuit to walk along there when it gets wet.

“You can see where people are walking off the footpath to get away from the foliage.”

Kerikeri resident Heather Mackay agreed the 1.5m path had been reduced to half a metre in some places, and there were many low-hanging branches.

About six residents had contacted the Far North District Council (FNDC) monthly since July to try to reclaim the footpaths, she said.

“Self-respecting owners of properties should keep their frontages neat, tidy and unlikely to compromise public use.

“But there are a large number of non-self-respecting property owners along Inlet Rd, therefore it is incumbent on council ...”

Kevin said he contacted FNDC twice to ask for vegetation to be trimmed back.

Hedges along Inlet Rd are growing over half of the footpath in places.

He received no response to his first request six months ago.

So last week, he resubmitted the same request.

On November 13, he received an email from the council’s contractor stating that the work had been completed.

However, four days later, the same day the Northern Advocate began making inquiries, Kevin received another response apologising for “the confusion” relating to the vegetation clearing works.

“Our inspector walked the path extensively last week and has identified various locations requiring vegetation cut-back works,” the email said.

“These have been programmed and scheduled to take place over the next three weeks.”

FNDC corporate services group manager Charlie Billington said it had received eight requests for service (RFS) related to overgrowth in the area.

Of those, four requests had been addressed, and the remaining three were scheduled for the next couple of weeks.

He encouraged residents to continue reporting issues.

“Sometimes, overgrowth may not be immediately reported or noticed during patrols.”

Currently, the maintenance of hedges and grass is shared between the council and landowners.

However, Billington said the council planned to review its district-wide vegetation management policy “to ensure it continues to meet community needs”.

Bay of Islands Whangaroa ward councillor Ann Court said the issue of overgrown hedges had been “ongoing for some years”.

“Homeowners need to think about what they’re planting next to the footpath and take some personal responsibility.

“And council needs to improve ... it’s not good enough to drive by and have a look, you have got to get out and walk it.

“We live in Northland, where vegetation grows really fast.”

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 social issues.