Death penalty for Queen Street trees to begin next month

Felling of 20 exotic trees due for the chop in central Auckland will begin in the middle of next month, despite a public outcry at news of their demise.

The trees, to be replaced by natives including cabbage trees and nikau palms as part of a major upgrade, were given a bad health report by independent arborist Gordon Ikin.

They include 20 exotics between Wellesley St and Mayoral Drive: nine London plane trees, six tooth daisy trees, two yellow poplars, one liquidambar, one claret ash and an oriental plane.

The Herald received more than 100 e-mails opposing the plan - only two backed replanting with natives.

At least three specimens, two outside the Sky City entertainment centre and one outside the Methodist Church Mission, appeared to be in rude good health.

In his report to the council, Mr Ikin made no mention of disease or other immediate danger to the trees, some of which, he said, could live for another 20 years.

CBD project leader Jo Wiggins said the trees being cut down were not in good condition.

She said Mr Ikin had not been given the contract to cut down the trees, but he would be providing new natives.

She said the council had not publicly notified the fact that the trees were being removed because it had already gone through a public consultation process on the Queen St upgrade, of which the tree removal was a part.

"It was non-notified because the trees are not scheduled trees, they are not protected," she said.

"For the upgrade we have consulted for two years. We had some comment then about the trees, some people were opposed to cutting them down and some were supportive."

She said the removal of exotics in favour of natives was to give a "distinctly Auckland" flavour to the city.

Auckland Mayor Dick Hubbard said more than 100 new nikau and cabbage trees would be added to Queen St.

"We want people walking down Queen Street to know they are in New Zealand, to see palms and trees that tell them they are in a truly international city with a unique South Pacific flavour.

"Unfortunately, many of the deciduous trees in Queen St are in poor health because they are in locations and conditions not suited to proper growth."

Architect Julie Stout, who was a member of the mayor's taskforce on urban design, said the city did not need "misguided nationalism in the Queen St landscape - just comfort and pleasure".

"Nikau palms or cabbage trees are never going to provide the presence or the shade of the current trees," she said.

Councillors Faye Storer and Glenda Fryer both expressed misgivings about cutting down the trees.

Representatives of the nursery and garden industry said the were "aghast" at the proposed removal.

Nursery & Garden Industry Association director Malcolm Woolmore said the association was "utterly opposed" to such action.

"Whilst we have no problem with planting natives anywhere in New Zealand, an edict to remove existing large trees to make way for indigenous species is just going too far," he said.

"Aesthetically there is nothing wrong with the trees and there is apparently no other reason to chop them down other than a designer's whim to follow a PC fashion wave."