Before stump grinding starts in Auckland
Pipes and cables can run right past a stump. Get services located before any grinding or digging: beforeUdig is an online service for requesting that information, and it lists homeowners among the people who should use it. Ask the arborist whether they've lodged a request, or lodge one yourself. Keep children and pets well back while the grinder runs.
Tree health in Auckland
This is the rule that makes Auckland different. Under the Unitary Plan's rule E15, all kauri material, including sawdust and woodchips, has to be kept within 3 times the radius of the tree's canopy drip line or taken to an approved landfill. Kauri stump grindings are kauri material, so they can't go off to the green waste or into someone else's garden.
National kauri rules add a second layer. The kauri hygiene zone is 3 times the radius of a kauri's canopy dripline, and since 2 August 2023 earthworks inside it need an earthworks risk management plan. Whether a particular stump job counts as earthworks is worth asking Tiakina Kauri before you start. Kauri dieback spreads through soil, so gear should arrive clean and leave clean. Our kauri dieback guide has more.
Stump grinding in Auckland: what's local
A notable tree next door
The notable tree rules protect the root zone as well as the tree, and work in that zone not otherwise provided for is a restricted discretionary activity. A stump inside a listed tree's root zone, yours or the neighbour's, needs checking with Auckland Council first.
Volcanic ground and sandstone
Auckland sits on a volcanic field of over 50 volcanic centres, the North Shore is mostly sandstone, and Pukekohe grew on fertile volcanic land. Tell the arborist about any rock, old fill, drains or retaining walls you know of near the stump.
Trees that came down in a storm
A tree pushed over by wind often leaves a torn root plate rather than a neat stump. Auckland Emergency Management says to be careful around trees damaged by high winds, so leave a half-lifted root plate alone until an arborist has looked at it.
Notable tree removals
When a notable tree comes out under resource consent, the schedule is later updated once the council has sighted the consent. If the stump left behind belonged to a listed tree, keep the consent paperwork handy for the grinding contractor.
Grind it, or dig it out?
| Grinding | Digging out | |
|---|---|---|
| What's left | Roots below the grind stay and rot slowly | Most of the root mass comes out |
| Ground disturbance | Small, mostly at the stump | A big hole and plenty of soil moved |
| Near kauri or a notable tree | Less soil moved, but the rules still need checking | More soil moved, so more to check first |
| Replanting | Best a little to one side of the old stump | Possible in the same spot once the hole is filled |
Stump grinding in Auckland: what you can do yourself
You can
- Request a services locate through beforeUdig, or check the arborist has.
- Mark sprinkler lines, drains, garden edging and anything buried that you know about.
- Rake and reuse grindings as mulch, keeping kauri grindings inside the 3 times drip line radius.
- Fill and level the hole once the grinding is done.
Leave to an arborist
- The grinding itself, and any root chasing.
- Stumps inside a notable tree's root zone.
- Kauri stumps, and how the soil and grindings are handled.
- Stumps on slopes, against walls or tangled in services.
Questions to ask about stump grinding in Auckland
- How far below ground level will you grind, and how wide?
- What happens to the grindings, and if it's kauri, where do they stay?
- Has anyone located the services near the stump?
- Is the stump inside a notable tree's root zone?
Hiring an arborist for stump grinding in Auckland
Get the services located first, then ask one question about the tree that used to be there: was it a kauri, or does it sit near a listed tree? If not, it's an ordinary grind. If so, have the arborist explain in writing how they'll handle the grindings and the soil, and check with Auckland Council or Tiakina Kauri before the grinder starts.