Tree health in West Auckland
Look for signs first
National rules say to tell Tiakina Kauri or Auckland Council if your kauri look unhealthy. Do that before booking work, not after.
Keep the soil where it is
Dieback spreads through soil. Boots, tools and machines should arrive clean and leave clean, and earthworks within 3 times the canopy radius need a risk management plan.
Keep the wood on site
Kauri sawdust, chips and offcuts must stay within 3 times the radius of the drip line or go to an approved landfill.
Tree removal in West Auckland: what's local
Kauri on the schedule
Schedule 10's Waitakere section lists kauri on Arama Avenue and York Road in Titirangi, and on Edmonton Road and Edwards Avenue in Henderson. Removing a listed tree needs resource consent.
The ranges and the heritage area
The Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area Act 2008 covers about 27,700 ha, private land as well as the regional park. Te Kawerau ā Maki placed a rāhui over dieback in 2017, and the park's forested areas closed from 1 May 2018; tracks have been reopening slowly.
What's left after the mills
Between 1840 and 1940, 23 timber mills felled about 120,000 trees in the ranges, and by the 1920s little kauri forest remained. Little of the old forest survived the milling, which is part of why the kauri still standing matter so much.
Volcanic ranges, sandstone flats
The ranges are remnants of the old Waitākere volcano, while suburbs like Henderson sit on Waitemata sandstone. Around Titirangi and Laingholm the soils are more sedimentary than the volcanic ranges.
Storm damage and fallen trees in West Auckland
NIWA says the Waitakere Ranges get more rain than urban Auckland, with more frequent showers in the hills. The day after the 27 January 2023 floods, Vector named Laingholm, Titirangi and Swanson among the areas where fallen trees and slips had blocked roads and kept power off. On a steep bush section, a tree above the house after heavy rain is worth an arborist's look.
For a tree on a line, call Vector, and only approved utility arborists should work within four metres of a network line. Our after a storm guide covers the first steps.
Hiring an arborist in West Auckland
Find out whether it's a kauri, and whether the work falls within 3 times any kauri's canopy radius. If so, ask the arborist how they'll handle hygiene, soil and offcuts, and get it in writing. Then check Schedule 10 and the Unitary Plan maps before anything is cut.