13,700 native trees planted in North Shore reserve destroyed to keep view

Sanders Reserve on Auckland's North Shore. Photo / Supplied

A Upper Harbour Local Board member has slammed the decision to remove 13,700 trees planted by the community in a North Shore reserve because of concerns they would obscure views.

Since 2018, local volunteers have contributed 3450 hours of their time, which equates to more than 443 days, planting the trees at Sanders Reserve. The plants cost the council $16,813 and a sizeable number were provided by the Mayors Million Trees, Rotary, and Trees for Survival.

But following a local board decision, all 13,700 native trees planted on the upper and mid sections of the slope below the kiosk at the reserve were removed over the weekend by mowing.

"I feel gutted for the community. So many hours have been put in by these local volunteers and this feels like we're just taking away a part of them," board member Uzra Casuri Balouch said.

Upper Harbour Local Board member Uzra Casuri Balouch. Photo / Supplied

She was one of two members on the board, the other being Nicholas Mayne, who had voted against the tree removal.

Balouch said she had personally received 36 emails from people in the community - 32 wanting to keep the trees, one wanting them relocated and three wanting them removed.

"We were also presented with a survey, with approximately 94 per cent of Paremoremo community also saying they wanted them to stay," she said.

"Now this community is up in arms at the moment."

Concerns were raised with the board in June last year by community members that native plants that had been planted below the kiosk could obscure views when they had grown.

All 13,700 young native plants that had been planted by volunteers have now been mown over. Photo / Supplied

Sanders Reserve is a 41-hectare multi-use park with a number of mountain bike trails on Auckland's North Shore.

The picnic areas offers stunning views of the Waitematā Harbour, and there is also a separate horse-riding area, and coastal forest and native bird habitat on the water's edge.

The trees had been planted under the annual ecological volunteers programme since 2018 and followed the ecological best practice.

The board was presented with options of relocating the trees, partial removal of only the taller species, or total removal - but chose removing them over relocation.

In the board's agenda report, dated December 9, 2021, it noted that "local community members expressed concern that the native plants below the kiosk would block the view from the kiosk in coming years, that the open space of the reserve was being planted with native plants, and that the path below the kiosk would be obscured by the native plants which would prove a safety risk as walkers on the path could not be seen from the kiosk".

Volunteers who have helped the planting of the native trees. Photos / Supplied

The majority of the approximately 13,700 plants below the kiosk were planted in the 2019 and 2021 planting seasons.

"The local community, local volunteer groups and school children had a significant involvement over the last five years in the environmental protection and enhancement, including planting, at Sanders Reserve," the report said.

"A key volunteer group at Sanders Reserve is Sustainable Paremoremo...helping with native plantings, assisting with planning and conducting aftercare of the plantings.

"In addition to Sustainable Paremoremo, school students such as from Kristin School have planted many plants at Sanders Reserve. Conservation Volunteers has held multiple volunteer days and the Chinese Conservation Education Trust has contributed to plantings at Sanders Reserve."

The removal of the plants via mowing was done at a cost of $14,000.

Puketapapa Local Board member Jon Turner tweeted, saying the decision was "so depressing".

"Upper Harbour Local Board voted to Mow (!) 13,700 trees planted by community members and funded by council. Against staff advice! So depressing... What climate crisis," he tweeted.

Balouch said she supported the option to have just the tall species removed and relocate others.

"We could get the community involved again by organising a 'Relocate the Plants Day', this would at least ensure the survival of quite a lot of young trees," she said.

"The community were informed about the removal just after Christmas, then on January 3 community members informed me while I was on holiday that they had been mowed."

Balouch said she felt gutted that the decision of the board had gone against the wishes of the community.

"This has just been very hard to explain to the community," she said.