Auckland tree protest: Canal Rd natives poisoned in overnight 'attack', campaigners say

Tuesday, 16 February 2021

A protester ties himself to a digger in fight to save 100-year-old Avondale native trees on Canal Rd (Video December 2020).

Natives trees at the site of a protest against their removal in West Auckland have been poisoned, protestors say.

The Mana Rakaū - Save Canal Road Native Trees group has been occupying privately owned land on Canal Rd, in Avondale, since July 2020.

Campaigners moved in after learning some 100-year-old native trees would be cut down to make way for housing.

Tree activists have been protesting the removal of the Canal Rd trees since July 2020.

On Tuesday, Mana Rakaū said there was a “cowardly poison attack” on 18 trees at the site overnight.

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Activists placed themselves in the trees to prevent them being cut down.

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The group claimed a man entered the site around midnight and “drilled poison” into 18 trees, including a rare kawaka, matai, totara, tawa and puriri tree.

A teenager tried to prevent the macrocarpa tree in Avondale being cut down to make way for an Ockham development on a separate site in Avondale.

“He was scared off by the Mana Rākau member on night watch,” the group said in a media statement.

“Today, on the 224th day of the community protest at Canal Rd, the community are working fast to remove the poison and save the trees.”

Area commander for Auckland city west police Inspector Grant Tetzlaff said police were informed about the damage to the trees.

“We have since visited the site, and we can confirm there is damage to a number of trees consistent with them being drilled,” Tetzlaff said.

“Police will make some further follow-up inquiries into the matter.”

Mana Rakaū spokeswoman Juressa Lee said it had been a “devastating” week for trees in the Auckland region.

“This cowardly and malicious attack comes after mature native trees were destroyed at Campbell Rd, Greenlane, the felling of three native trees on Henry St on Tuesday and the removal of Big Mac, the scheduled macrocarpa in Avondale, on Friday.”

With expert help from arborists, Lee said Mana Rakaū was working to remove the poison from the trees and remediate them.

Activist Steve Abel said the group’s quick response may save the trees.

“The community has been successfully standing together to protect these trees for 224 days.

“And our rapid response to this attack may save them still. As the efforts to destroy trees redoubles, so too must our efforts to protect them.”

In July, Auckland Mayor Phil Goff told Stuff his team was working hard to reverse amendments made to the Resource Management Act in 2012 that allowed for trees to be cut down on private properties without consent.

“There are groups of trees like this all over our city that have no protection. We need to reverse the amendments [made] in 2012 and the best way to protect these trees is to get change in the legislation to get group protection.”

Auckland Council’s environment committee said it would explore the legal aspects first, and told protesters it did not want to offer any false hope that it could be possible.