Two groups of iconic redwood trees will be removed after a tree nearly fell on a young gardener at the Kerikeri Retirement Village.
Two groups of iconic redwood trees will be removed after a tree nearly fell on a young gardener at the Kerikeri Retirement Village.
Two groups of landmark redwood trees that pose an “unacceptable risk” to life and property in Northland will finally be given the chop.
Far North District Council [FNDC] announced on Wednesday that around 300 mature redwood trees in central Kerikeri would be removed after a decision by the council’s chiefexecutive Guy Holroyd.
Holroyd’s decision came after a WorkSafe review into a near-miss incident during ex-tropical Cyclone Tam in April, when a Kerikeri Retirement Village gardener had to run for his life when a 30m redwood fell on to his gardening shed.
Kerikeri Retirement Village chief executive Hilary Sumpter said she was “very happy” the trees were being removed.
Sumpter said the teenage gardener was “two seconds away from being potentially killed by one of those trees”.
FNDC delivery and operations group manager Ruben Garcia said a review was carried out with village representatives and WorkSafe and an arborist’s assessment was undertaken.
About 300 90-year-old trees are in two stands along Wendywood Lane and Hawkings Crescent in Kerikeri.
While the arborist found no immediate stem cracks in the redwoods, there was evidence of “root-plate movement” on four trees, Garcia said.
“The report questioned the stability of the trees during extreme weather and said that pruning alone would be an insufficient remedy.”
There are about 300 90-year-old trees located in two stands in reserve areas along Wendywood Lane and Hawkings Crescent.
Garcia said “all redwood trees ... are expected to be removed”.
The council was in the process of engaging a contractor and the trees would be felled “as soon as reasonably possible”.
Garcia said indicative pricing for the work was around $100,000, but the total cost was not yet known.
The trees were planted in the 1940s as shelterbelts for adjacent farmland but are now surrounded by urban development, including retail to the north and the Kerikeri Retirement Village to the south.
Their proximity to residential and commercial areas has been of concern for over a decade.
A Kerikeri Retirement Village gardener had to run for his life when one of the trees fell on to his gardening shed during ex-tropical Cyclone Tam.
The recent near miss was the third serious incident involving the trees and the retirement village. Previous incidents included branches striking the hospital wing and a resident’s car.
However, 84% of submitters opposed the felling and an annual inspection regime was undertaken instead.
Kerikeri Retirement Village chief executive Hilary Sumpter said she was pleased the trees were being removed.
At the May 8 council meeting, Mayor Moko Tepania, seconded by councillor Steve McNally, moved that the trees “be removed urgently under health and safety legislation to reduce risk to public ...”
They also requested “the chief executive report the financial risk to [the] ratepayer, insurance premiums, excess and consequential loss due to council negligence”.
Garcia said decisions about significant trees on council reserves usually sat with community boards, which consulted with residents before tree removals.
However, as the land owner, the council had “a duty of care to take steps to remove or reduce hazards that could cause loss or harm to neighbouring people and properties”.
“Based on that legal advice ... chief executive Guy Holroyd has exercised his delegated authority to approve removal of all the trees”.
Sumpter said she would like to see the area replanted with native trees.
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.
