Trees and power lines in Auckland
If anyone is hurt or in danger, call 111. Treat every power line as live, even one on the ground, and keep at least ten metres back. For most of Auckland the lines company is Vector; around Pukekohe it's Counties Energy. Once everyone is clear, photograph the damage and tell your insurer.
Council tree rules in Auckland
Since 1 January 2012, the Resource Management Act has stopped blanket tree protection on urban sections. In Auckland the rules for private land sit in the Auckland Unitary Plan, and the best known are the notable trees: single trees, groups and rows listed in Schedule 10 and marked on the plan maps by the Notable Trees Overlay.
Removing a notable tree needs resource consent. Trimming one is allowed only inside tight limits: no branch over 50mm across, no more than 10 per cent of the live growth in a calendar year, and the tree has to keep its natural shape. The protected root zone (the ground over the roots) is covered too.
Rule E15 then covers places rather than particular trees. Altering or removing vegetation within 10m of an urban stream needs consent, and so does work on a native tree over 3m tall within 20m of mean high water springs (roughly the spring high tide line). Natives near the top of steep coastal cliffs are included. Our Auckland permit page walks through how to check an address.
Who ends up on the notable tree schedule?
Schedule 10 is split into districts (City Centre, Franklin, Isthmus, Manukau, North Shore, Papakura, Rodney and Waitakere) and runs alphabetically by street. It isn't only grand specimens in parks. It lists trees on ordinary residential streets, rows of macrocarpa at Scotts Point and an avenue of 30 puriri in Greenlane.
The rules bite whoever does the cutting. In October 2025 an Auckland arborist company was fined after three large branches came off a protected tōtara in Mt Eden without approval. Our notable trees guide explains how listing works.
Tree removal in Auckland: what's local
Pōhutukawa on every coast
Pōhutukawa grows naturally north of New Plymouth and Gisborne, so Auckland is home ground. DOC says parking cars over the roots harms it, and names myrtle rust, a wind-borne fungus, as a threat. See pōhutukawa.
Kauri and dieback
Kauri dieback spreads through soil and has no known cure. Since 2 August 2022, national rules say to report kauri that look unhealthy, and the Unitary Plan keeps kauri sawdust and chips within 3 times the canopy radius or sends them to an approved landfill. The Waitākere Ranges park closed its forested areas from 1 May 2018 because of it.
Exotic shelter and street trees
Oaks, Norfolk Island pines, poplars and macrocarpa all turn up on the notable list, so don't assume an introduced tree is fair game. Our macrocarpa guide covers the shelter rows.
Volcanoes, ranges and slopes
The Auckland Volcanic Field has over 50 volcanic centres, and the Waitākere and Hunua Ranges rise to 480 m and 690 m. A hillside section can put a tree uphill of the house, which changes how an arborist plans access and the job.
Storm damage and fallen trees in Auckland
NIWA says Auckland's wind comes mostly from the southwest, but storms of tropical origin arrive once or twice a year, mainly from December to April, often with strong easterlies. A tree that has leaned into southwesterlies for years can be caught from the other side.
During Cyclone Gabrielle, from 11 February 2023, about a third of Vector's overhead network had outages, mainly caused by vegetation, and over 218,000 customers were affected. Vector runs the lines from Wellsford to Papakura, and Counties Energy from southern Papakura, including Pukekohe and Waiuku. The power lines guide explains who trims what near a line.
Common tree jobs in Auckland
Plenty of people search for tree topping when they want a tree smaller. Arborists avoid it, because stubs grow back with weakly attached shoots; lopping vs pruning shows what to ask for instead.
We have Auckland pages on tree pruning, hedge trimming and stump grinding, and area pages for the North Shore, West Auckland, South Auckland, East Auckland, the Hibiscus Coast and Pukekohe.
Hiring an arborist in Auckland
We'd look the address up on the Unitary Plan maps for the Notable Trees Overlay first. Then ask three plain questions: is it native, is it near a stream, and can you see the sea from it? If any answer is yes, have the arborist confirm the consent position in writing before the job is booked, including who applies. With kauri on or near the section, ask how soil and chips will stay on site.