Auckland trees an 'eyesore' after being cut in deep V shapes to avoid power lines
Good morning Auckland neighbours,
Auckland residents are up in arms after a row of trees was turned into an “eyesore” in a bid to protect some power lines.
Residents of Alford St, in the central Auckland suburb of Waterview, woke up last week to find the trees on their berms cut into deep V shapes.
John Jones, who lives opposite one of the trees, said they were “quite an eyesore”.
Auckland Council’s regional arborists and ecological manager David Stejskal said the trees were pruned by contractors Treescape as part of routine maintenance of trees growing under power lines.
The overzealous pruning was brought to the council’s attention by a local board member.
Officials have since visited the site and spoken to the contractor about the unacceptable nature of the pruning, Stejskal said.
“The power lines clearance programme needs to strike a balance between the regulatory clearance required to protect power lines and maintaining the viability of the tree,” he said.
Our contractors agree to clear trees to regulatory and contract specifications and best practice guidelines which in this case were not carried out.
“We are currently speaking to Treescape about what needs to be done to remedy the situation.”
Treescape confirmed it is working with the council to remedy the situation.
“We understand the concerns of the residents, and we’re working together to resolve the issue,” a spokesperson said.
“That’s all we can say at this stage.”
What do you think of the way the trees have been cut?
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Poll: If we want to reduce speeding, what do you think actually changes driver behaviour? 🛻🚨🚓
In the Post's article on speeding penalties, the question is asked whether speeding fines are truly about road safety, or are they just a way to boost revenue for the Crown?
What do you think? Should speeding motorists receive speeding fines or demerit points?
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36.5% The sting of a fine (Money talks!)
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63.5% The threat of demerit points (Nobody wants to lose their license!)
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DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.
Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.
For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.
Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?
We hope this brings a smile!
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17.2% Yes
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66.1% No
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16.7% A little
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