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Arborists and tree jobs in Taranaki

Westerlies, Bola and New Plymouth's notable trees.

Westerlies make Taranaki one of New Zealand's windiest regions, so the trees worth having checked first are the big ones within reach of the house, the lines or the road.

Tree job in Taranaki?

What needs doing?

If anyone is in danger, call 111. Keep clear of fallen power lines and call your lines company. Then tell us the job.

Only one local arborist gets your number.

A worker raking up leaves and sawdust on a lawn beside a fresh stump and a neat stack of cut logs
A shelter belt of trees across green farmland with cattle grazing

Tree blown onto a line?

Call 111 if anyone's in danger, and stay well clear. Powerco lists Taranaki among its regions and takes calls for electricity emergencies and tree enquiries. Don't try to pull a branch off a wire yourself: Powerco says any tree within 4 m of lines must be trimmed by an approved contractor.

New Plymouth and around the mountain

New Plymouth has its own page. Jobs from Hāwera, Stratford, Inglewood or Waitara go through the same form.

Notable trees in New Plymouth

New Plymouth's Part Operative District Plan 2025 lists notable trees in SCHED4, and they're shown on the planning maps. The council says a resource consent may be needed before any activity involving a notable tree, or close to one. Work outside the plan's rules needs a consent backed by an approved arborist's report.

If you think a notable tree is hazardous, the council asks you to contact it before anyone acts, so an arborist can assess it. South Taranaki and Stratford have their own plans, and our tree rules page explains consents.

Wind, Bola and the 2007 tornadoes

NIWA records gusts over 63 km/hr at New Plymouth Airport on an average of 83 days a year. It says spring is the windiest season: 31% of the strong winds recorded at New Plymouth came then.

In March 1988, ex-tropical cyclone Bola downed an estimated 10,000 trees in Taranaki. On 5 July 2007, a swarm of about seven tornadoes uprooted trees near Oakura, Egmont Village, Inglewood, Waitara and Bell Block.

Why topping isn't the answer to wind

New Plymouth District Council says lopping and topping are not part of its approach to tree care. Cutting a tree back to stubs tends to bring a flush of fast, weakly attached shoots, the last thing you want facing a westerly.

Thinning or reducing the crown (the leafy top of the tree) with proper cuts is the usual alternative, and lopping vs pruning explains the difference.

Cities in Taranaki

Tree removal in New PlymouthNew Plymouth's notable tree rules, Taranaki's wind and storms, street trees, neighbours and Powerco.

Tree rules in Taranaki, council by council

Need an arborist in Taranaki?

Choose the job and add your postcode, and a local arborist gets in touch.

Tree job in Taranaki?

What needs doing?

Only one local arborist gets your number.

More on Arborists and tree jobs in Taranaki

Tree topping, lopping and pruningWhat topping and lopping do to a tree, how pruning differs, and what to ask an arborist for instead.Storm damage and fallen treesWhat to do first after a storm, making a damaged tree safe, photos and insurance, and consent for protected trees.Trees near power lines: who trims, who pays, what notices meanWho can trim near lines, what cut or trim notices mean, the first cut, and which lines company covers each area.

Where this information comes from

Tree rules change, so check with your council before anything is cut. How we write and check these pages.