Auckland Council is planning the removal and replacement of 15 pōhutukawa trees on Mary Street in Eden Terrace, following ongoing damage to neighbouring properties and public infrastructure.
Resource consent has been granted to remove the trees, as their roots are causing damage to private properties and public infrastructure, including footpaths, kerbs, drainage assets and raised planters.
Once removed, the pōhutukawa will be replaced with 11 new trees.
Albert-Eden Local Board chair Margi Watson says removing the trees is not a decision the council has taken lightly.
“These pōhutukawa make an important contribution to Mary Street but unfortunately, they are causing increasing damage to neighbouring properties and public infrastructure. After considering several alternatives, specialist assessments determined the removal, and replacement, is the only practical long-term solution.
“The replacement trees will be planted in engineered tree pits designed to provide better growing conditions and reduce the risk of the same problems happening again.”
The council considered other options, including transplanting, root barriers, root management and changes to the surrounding infrastructure. Experts found that none would provide a practical and reliable long-term solution.
Staged removal
The work will focus on removing the remaining trees and urgent remediation work on the footpath.
On the western side of Mary Street, four trees will be removed along with their stumps and associated roots. The affected parts of the footpath will then be reinstated.
On the eastern side, 11 trees will be cut to the level of the raised planters. The stumps and planters will remain until the later infrastructure work is ready to begin.
The wider infrastructure work and replacement planting will follow as a later stage, in accordance with the resource consent. Further engineering and coordination ais required before the new tree pits can be installed, with planting currently expected during winter 2027.
Better growing conditions for the new trees
The 11 replacement trees will be honey locust cultivars planted in engineered tree pits. These trees were selected because they are suited to the engineered growing conditions, providing summer canopy and shade, and allowing more light into the street during winter.
The later work will also include changes to the kerb and footpath and some on-street parking. These details will be confirmed as the design and delivery programme are finalised.
Due to the size of the pōhutukawa , it’s not practical to replant them. Instead, they will be processed into woodchip that will be used as mulch on other council urban ngāhere plantings and projects.