Tree removal in Pukekohe: what's local
Tōtara and old exotics
Schedule 10's Franklin section lists tōtara on East Street, Cromwell Place and Birch Road, plus an English oak on Carlton Road, a coastal redwood on Dublin Street and a pōhutukawa on Albert Street. Removing a listed tree needs resource consent.
Volcanic market garden soil
Pukekohe is part of the South Auckland volcanic field, which erupted between 550,000 and 1,600,000 years ago, and its fertile volcanic land made it a market gardening centre for Auckland.
Sheltered, but flood-prone
NIWA says inland Pukekohe is less windy than coastal spots like Auckland Airport. On 21 January 1999, though, the town got three times its normal January rainfall in two hours, with floodwater 1 m deep in places.
Gabrielle and soft ground
Cyclone Gabrielle cut power to nearly 27,000 Counties Energy customers in February 2023. Fallen trees did much of the damage, because a wet summer and earlier flooding had softened the ground.
Trees and power lines in Pukekohe
Counties Energy's network runs coast to coast between southern Papakura and Mercer, with a substation at Pukekohe. Faults go to Counties Energy, which says any part of a tree within four metres of a power line must by law be trimmed by an approved arborist, and it does the first cut at its own cost.
The service line on your own land is different: Counties Energy says keeping trees clear of it is your responsibility. Our power lines guide explains the split.
Council tree rules in Pukekohe
Pukekohe came into Auckland Council when Franklin District Council was abolished on 1 November 2010, and the Franklin Local Board has represented the area since. The tree rules are the Unitary Plan's; our Auckland permit page explains them.
The jobs most likely to come up are old shelter trees on lifestyle blocks, big tōtara near houses and clean-ups after wet spells. Gabrielle showed how soft ground lets trees fall, so a lean that's new after heavy rain deserves a look.
Hiring an arborist in Pukekohe
Check Schedule 10 for the address, because Pukekohe has listed trees on ordinary town streets. If a tree is near a line, ring Counties Energy, not Vector. And after a run of heavy rain, walk the section and look for trees that have started to lean or lift.