The saving was an average of $1000 a consent, based on 2009 charges.
"It's a ridiculous bureaucracy that people required consents and an arborist's report for minor trimming issues.
Mr Smith said it was "not appropriate" for him as minister to comment on the council's court action in response to another part of the Government's Resource Management (Streamlining and Simplifying) Amendment Act.
This law change largely revoked district plan rules for general protection of urban trees from the start of next month.
The council won an Environment Court order to temporarily protect 1800 trees from the change until it could change district plan rules to add them to schedules of notable trees.
This included 829 trees which could have been removed without the need for resource consent from January 1.
Mr Smith said the Auckland Council had "taken on board" the Government's intention in the act to revoke blanket tree protection rules which resulted in thousands of consents being required "at a lot of cost for ratepayers for very little environmental gain."
MAP OF PROTECTED TREES IN AUCKLAND
View Trees in Auckland in a full screen map
The list excludes properties in the former North Shore City Council area.
That council notified its plan change before the councils merged in 2010; the resulting submissions requesting 360 trees or areas of trees be added to the notable schedule. The submissions will be heard in late February and decisions will be issued by April 15.