Mayor mourns iconic Auckland pōhutukawa cut down overnight

Thursday, 2 December 2021

More arrests have been made at the Canal Rd tree protest in Auckland's Avondale. (Video published March 2021)

Auckland mayor Phil Goff has joined tree protection advocates in expressing disappointment that a pōhutukawa tree on one of the city’s main thoroughfares was cut down overnight, saying the lack of tree protection measures are to blame.

Late on Wednesday night, the tree – thought to be 100 years old – was removed from outside St David's Presbyterian Church on Khyber Pass Rd.

“It is really sad to see a beautiful, mature pōhutukawa tree cut down, especially when it was about to bloom,” Goff said.

Aborist Zane Wedding, who witnessed the tree removal, said it was “gut wrenching”.

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“We’re living in a time when this is becoming very common. As much as it hurts, we’re getting more and more accustomed to it happening,” Wedding said.

Wealthy commercial developer Ted Manson purchased the church in July in order to save it from being turned into offices or a cafe after it was put up for commercial tender.

Two adjacent sites were also purchased to preserve the church and assist with structural upgrades and ongoing maintenance.

An iconic pōhutukawa tree by St David's Presbyterian Church was cut down in the dead of night on Wednesday.

His foundation’s chief executive, Sam McCloy-McKenzie, said the development potential of the two sites “needed to be maximised”.

“In order to achieve this, the pōhutukawa tree located at 68 Khyber Pass Rd was required to be removed.

“The tree in question is not protected and can be removed as a permitted activity under the Auckland Unitary Plan,” McCloy-McKenzie said.

The Tree Council’s Mark Lockhart said workers came in the “dead of night” in order to avoid being confronted.

“When we saw what happened last night – saw them cutting it down – it was too late. I’d have hoped we would have had a period to at least challenge and act about it. I’m distraught,” Lockhart said.

While the tree was not protected by law, its removal was a “moral and ethical issue”, he said.

The tree’s canopy spanned 20 metres before it was cut down.

“The tree was incredibly important visually, with a massive canopy of 20 metres, and it's going to leave a massive gap in our urban environment.”

In November, the Tree Council took the Auckland Council to court over its decision not to expand its schedule of protected trees over the past decade, leaving nearly 600 at risk.

Council officers said at the time that it would cost $871,000 to schedule all 587 individual trees nominated for protection. It had scheduled no trees for protection since the completion of its Unitary Plan in 2016.

Goff said the Auckland Council has not been served with any court proceedings, and he blamed the 2012 National Government for removing general tree protections as part of changes to the Resource Management Act.

“We have been advocating strongly to [central] government to reverse the decision,” he said.

Albert-Eden-Puketāpapa ward councillor Christine Fletcher was “heartbroken” at the news the pōhutukawa had been destroyed.

During a council meeting in August, Fletcher highlighted that the tree was under threat.

Work was undertaken to protect pōhutukawa, with “everyone agreeing” it should be saved, but they neglected to act in time, she said.

“This is unforgivable. We can’t fix it.”