If the tree is damaged, leaning or near lines
If a tree has split, is leaning toward the house or has come down in a storm, keep everyone out from under it and call 111 if anyone is in danger. Damaged trees and branches can hold stored tension and move without warning. Never touch a tree or branch that's touching a power line, and if a line is down, stay at least 10 metres away and call 111. Within 4 m of a network line, only an approved utility arborist may work on the tree, so ring your lines company.
The rules apply whoever holds the saw
Whether a tree is protected has nothing to do with who cuts it. Councils protect trees through their district plans (in Auckland, the Unitary Plan), using notable tree schedules and, in some places, rules based on where a tree grows. Work on a protected tree needs resource consent.
Some of those rules catch people out. Under Auckland's Unitary Plan, removing vegetation within 10 m of an urban stream needs resource consent, and so does removing any indigenous tree over 3 m tall within 20 m of mean high water springs in urban zones. In parks and roads, removing a tree over 4 m tall or over 400 mm in girth needs consent too.
A tree on the berm or in a reserve belongs to the council, even if it shades your section. Hamilton City Council, for example, says its street and park trees shouldn't be pruned or removed without its permission, and that there are penalties for doing so.
The current plans still apply while New Zealand moves to its new planning system. The Planning Act and Natural Environment Act passed in September 2026, and councils keep monitoring and enforcing the existing rules through the transition. The penalties are serious: for offending from 21 August 2025, the maximum fines under the Resource Management Act rose steeply.
Before anything is cut, look the tree up in your district plan or ask the council. Our tree rules by council page and notable trees guide are good places to start.
Why felling is skilled work
WorkSafe's 2012 arboriculture code, a statement of preferred work practice for the industry, has whole sections on chainsaws, climbing, pruning, felling and machinery. It says arborists doing the work shall be suitably qualified, with their competency documented.
Training for removals sits well up the qualification ladder. NZQA says graduates of the arboriculture strand of its Level 4 Horticulture Services certificate, a qualification for experienced workers, can remove trees using a range of felling techniques and carry out rescues at height.
The code lists decay or rot, dead branches and hung-up or interlocking branches among the hazards to look for before any work, and says tree work must stop in high winds, wet weather or poor visibility. It also says special care is needed when felling dead trees, because parts can drop into the work area as the tree falls. A dead tree isn't the easy one; our page on dead and dangerous trees explains why.
The risks people underestimate
- Trees rarely fall exactly where people expect. Lean, uneven weight, hidden rot and a gust of wind all change the direction.
- A tree that hangs up in another tree, on a fence or across a line is a serious hazard in its own right.
- A chainsaw can kick back toward the person holding it faster than anyone can react.
- Branches dropped from height land with real force, and even a small limb can break a roof, a fence or a bone.
- The stump and roots are a second job, with buried pipes and cables to find before anyone digs.
Insurance doesn't always see it your way
The Insurance Council suggests checking your home policy wording for damage caused by falling trees or branches, and asking your insurer if you're unsure. Do that before the work, not after something has gone through the roof or the neighbour's fence.
After a storm, the Natural Hazards Commission says it can't pay you for clean-up work you do on your land yourself. The Insurance Council also says big jobs that could damage a home or harm people are best left to an arborist.
What you can do, and where it stops
You can
- Cut a shrub or sapling you can manage with loppers or a pruning saw, standing on the ground, once you've checked the rules.
- Prune small branches you can reach with both feet on the ground.
- Dig out a small stump by hand after getting services located (see removing a tree stump).
- Photograph the tree, check the district plan and talk to the neighbours.
- Rake up, stack small branches and mulch the ground afterwards.
Leave to an arborist
- Taking down any tree you'd need a chainsaw, a ladder or ropes for.
- Anything leaning, split, dead or storm-damaged.
- Trees near the house, fences, a road or a neighbour's section.
- Anything within 4 m of a power line, which only an approved utility arborist may touch.
- Notable and protected trees, including the consent application.
Cutting down a tree yourself: good to know
Check the rules
Look the tree up in your district plan, and ask the council if it's listed, near a stream or the coast, on the berm, or a kauri.
Get two or three quotes
Our guides to choosing an arborist and reading a tree quote help you compare them.
Sort consent if it's needed
Many arborists can prepare the application or the report a council asks for.
Tell the neighbours
Especially if the tree is near the boundary or the crew needs access from their side.
Plan the stump
Decide whether it's ground, dug out or left, and get the services plans before anyone digs.
Cutting down a tree yourself: what to do next
Unless it's a shrub we could cut with loppers from the ground, we'd get an arborist. The rules are the same whoever does the work, but the training, the gear and the insurance aren't, and a removal that goes wrong turns into a much bigger job than one done properly.
Want an arborist to look at it?
Tell us the job and your postcode, and a local arborist calls you to talk it through.