Tree removal in Wellington

Tree removal in Wellington: good to know

Cook Strait. NIWA puts Wellington's strong winds down to the Strait, and says the rugged hills make them very gusty. At Wellington Airport, gusts over 63 km/hr turn up on an average of 166 days a year, and gusts over 96 km/hr on 24.

Spring is usually the windiest season, but gales come most often in winter. The June 2013 storm showed what that means for gardens: 30,000 homes lost power, trees came down across the region, and Mt Kaukau recorded a 202 km/hr gust.

A tree that has stood for decades isn't proof it'll survive the next southerly. A big crown on a ridge, a split fork or a worsening lean is worth an arborist's eye.

Council tree rules in Wellington

Since 1 January 2012, a district plan can only protect a tree on an urban section if the plan schedules it, and existing plans keep applying while the new planning law beds in. So on a city section, the question is whether Wellington City Council's District Plan lists your tree.

We couldn't read the council's own tree pages when we checked, so we won't guess at the detail. Start at our Wellington permit page and get the council's answer before anything is cut. Protection even shapes the lines company's work: Wellington Electricity's 'clear to the sky' rule for bare lines only applies where the tree isn't protected under a district plan.

The rest of the region runs on different plans. If you're in Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt, Porirua or on the Kāpiti Coast, read that page instead, because the rules change at each council boundary.

Power lines: what's yours and what's Wellington Electricity's

Under the Electricity (Hazards from Trees) Regulations, the tree owner usually has to keep a tree clear of the lines. Wellington Electricity's contractor, Treescape, checks the network and sends notices, and the lines company pays for the first cut or trim of a tree that has never had one.

If you, the tree or a tool could come within 4 metres of a network line, don't do the work yourself: only authorised arborists may work that close. The line from the boundary pole to your house is a service line, and keeping trees off it is your job, not the network's.

From 23 July 2028, lines companies can also issue Treefall Hazard Notices for moderate- or high-risk trees within 24 metres of a line's growth limit zone, generally paying the reasonable cost of removal. Our power lines guide explains the notices.

Questions to ask an arborist in Wellington

Wind-damaged and overgrown trees top the list: a removal before it fails, or a pruning job that lets the wind through. Then stump grinding, where getting the machine in is half the work, and hedge trimming.

Plenty of people ask for a tree to be topped or lopped. A good arborist will kindly suggest a proper reduction instead, because branches cut to stubs regrow weakly and the next gale can rip that regrowth out. Lopping vs pruning shows the difference.