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Arborists and tree jobs in the Wellington region

A different plan for each council, and wind everywhere.

Every council in the Wellington region has its own district plan, so a tree in Upper Hutt and one on the Kāpiti Coast can face quite different rules.

Tree job in the Wellington region?

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 ground worker in a helmet and gloves holding a lowering rope and looking up into the tree
Wind-shaped macrocarpa trees beside a gravel farm road

A tree on the lines in the Wellington region?

If anyone is in danger, call 111, and stay at least 10 metres from a line that's down. Wellington Electricity covers Wellington, the Hutt Valley and Porirua: call its Electricity Emergency Line, which can also get a tree assessed. On the Kāpiti Coast, it's Electra.

Places with their own pages

Start with Wellington for the city, or go straight to Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt, Porirua, Whitby or the Kāpiti Coast. Jobs from the Wairarapa go through the same form.

How the councils differ

We couldn't read Wellington City Council's or Hutt City Council's tree rules at their own sites, so we don't quote them. The Wellington City Council page lists the questions to ask instead.

Upper Hutt lists notable trees in Tree-Schedule 1 and urban tree groups in UTG-SCHED1, both on its District Plan maps. Porirua's District Plan 2025 has a rule, ECO-R1, for trimming, pruning and removing vegetation within a Significant Natural Area. Kāpiti treats notable trees as historic heritage, listed in Schedule 8, and also schedules key indigenous trees on named properties.

Why the wind matters here

NIWA says Wellington's closeness to Cook Strait gives it a high frequency of strong winds, made very gusty by the hills. Wellington Airport records gusts over 63 km/hr on an average of 166 days a year, and over 96 km/hr on 24 of them.

Spring is generally the windiest season, while gales are most frequent in winter. In the 20 to 21 June 2013 storm, trees were felled, 30,000 homes lost power and a gust of 202 km/hr was recorded at Mt Kaukau.

In a storm

WREMO coordinates Civil Defence and emergency management for the nine councils in the region. It advises staying away from damaged areas until the all-clear is given, and contacting your insurer as soon as possible. When it's safe, the storm damage page covers what an arborist does next.

Cities in the Wellington region

Tree removal in WellingtonWellington's wind, steep sections, the Town Belt, District Plan protection and who to call about lines.

Every suburb

Suburbs and tree services in the Wellington region

Your suburb's page has its council's tree rules, the trees that grow there and who to call about power lines. Not listed? Tell us your postcode with the job, and we pass it to a local arborist near you.

Wellington9 suburbs

Tree rules in the Wellington region, council by council

Need an arborist in the Wellington region?

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

Tree job in the Wellington region?

What needs doing?

Only one local arborist gets your number.

More on Arborists and tree jobs in the Wellington region

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.