Whanganui District Council gets rid of pōhutukawa tree that gave shop owner four years of problems

Vivek Bangia's wish has finally come true. Photo / Bevan Conley

Action has finally been taken to get rid of the pōhutukawa tree outside Castlecliff Four Square.

Owner Vivek Bangia had been petitioning the Whanganui District Council for four years to remove it, saying the tree’s roots were damaging the footpath, the road and his building.

Cleaning the roots from drains had cost him thousands in plumber’s fees and the tree was now a health and safety hazard, he said.

Bangia presented his case at a recent council operations and performance committee meeting.

Now, the first stage of removal has been completed.

Council property and open spaces general manager Sarah O’Hagan said she hadn’t been approached by Bangia before the committee meeting, but she was aware he was having problems with the tree.

Since the meeting, the process had been quite simple, with activities “sliced and diced” between council teams, she said.

“The parks team organised for the tree to go, and the next step will be a conversation about what to put in its place.

“We’ve got some landscaping furniture left over from other projects, like planter boxes, that we might be able to take out there.”

In a statement sent via Foodstuffs New Zealand, Bangia said having gone through the appropriate channels “and raised the issue in the proper way, I’m naturally relieved action is now being taken by the council”.

“Everyone loves pōhutukawa trees, but unfortunately, this one had lifted the pavement, becoming a hazard for pedestrians, especially the elderly, and its root system was clogging the drains and impacting the local infrastructure.

“I’d love to see another tree planted, or a bench or cycle stand installed.

“Over the coming weeks, I’ll work with the council to ensure we do something nice with the space.”

O’Hagan said once the tree’s root system was taken out, the council’s roading team would reinstate the footpath and kerbs and the drainage team would look at the pipes to assess and resolve any damage.

The project would be wrapped up within six weeks, she said.

She wasn’t “interested in pointing fingers” with regard to why it had taken so long to resolve the situation.

“I don’t think it’s been any one thing.

“Potentially, [the] council hasn’t handled it holistically, and we’ve paused things because we perhaps thought there were other imperatives that the community wanted us to focus on.

“There was talk at one stage of more aspirations for that space in front of the Four Square. We waited to hear more from the community about that, and that doesn’t seem to have eventuated.”

Council chief executive David Langford said, like Bangia, members of the public could speak at a council meeting via deputation or public forum.

“They can get in touch with [the] council and put a request in.

“From there, the chair of a committee, or the mayor if it’s the full council meeting, considers the request and makes a decision on whether they allow it or not.”

He said there weren’t “loads” of requests.

“The council - our staff and our teams - are out there every day working really hard and, on the whole, the vast majority of what we do, we get right the first time.

“The fact we don’t have people lining up all the time to come in and complain is a good sign.”

Mike Tweed is an assistant news director and multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.