Arborists and tree jobs in Hawke's Bay

Hastings, Napier and the rest of the bay

Hastings has a page of its own. Jobs from Napier, Havelock North, Central Hawke's Bay and Wairoa go through the same form, with your postcode.

Hastings' outstanding and significant trees

Hastings District Council protects notable trees in its District Plan, on private land and in public spaces. It lists them in two sections: Outstanding Trees (appendix 52) and Significant Trees (appendix 53). The listed trees have been assessed by an arborist using STEM, the Standard Tree Evaluation Method.

The council asks you to talk to a consents planner well ahead of any work on a listed tree, including pruning, or digging or building near one. Napier and the other councils run their own plans, and our tree rules page explains resource consents.

Trees after Cyclone Gabrielle

Hastings District Council says Cyclone Gabrielle, in February 2023, caused widespread flooding and landslides. Roads and bridges across the region were hit by slips, fallen trees and downed power lines. A tree that stood in floodwater or lost soil from around its roots can look fine and still be weaker. If it's within reach of the house, it's worth an arborist's eye.

NIWA says Hawke's Bay is less windy than many coastal parts of New Zealand, though its high country is exposed and gales occur frequently there.

Who pays when a tree comes down?

In general, the tree itself isn't covered by house insurance. Damage it does to an insured house, garage or fence usually is, along with removing the parts that caused it. The Natural Hazards Commission can contribute to clearing fallen trees from insured land, up to its land cover cap, but not for work you do yourself. The after a storm guide has the detail.

Lines to the house

Unison says keeping trees off private service lines is the property owner's job, and it won't issue notices for those lines. You can ask Unison for a Safety Disconnection while a service line is trimmed, though conditions may apply.