Council tree rules on the Kāpiti Coast
Kāpiti's Notable Trees chapter has applied since 1 October 2024, and it treats a notable tree as a heritage feature. The plan only allows trimming one without a consent for narrow reasons: meeting the Electricity (Hazards from Trees) Regulations 2003, or keeping a driveway, right of way or access leg clear.
Even then, the work has to be done by an arborist holding the NZQA National Certificate in Arboriculture Level 4 or equivalent, to the NZ Arboricultural Association's amenity pruning guideline. A damaged, dead or storm-hit notable tree goes through the plan as a controlled activity, with a Level 4 arborist confirming its condition in writing.
Neighbours' trees on the Kāpiti Coast
Schedule 2, in force from 8 April 2025, lists key indigenous trees on named properties in Waikanae, Ōtaki and Paraparaumu. Most are kohekohe, with tōtara and tītoki among the rest, and trunk size is measured as circumference at 1.4 m above the ground.
This is the part that catches neighbours out. The plan's rules apply to a listed tree and to any part of it overhanging the next property. Cutting back a neighbour's kohekohe to the boundary may not be as simple as it looks, so check the schedule first.
Tree removal on the Kāpiti Coast: what's local
Less wind than the city, still wind
Paraparaumu Airport records gusts over 63 km/hr on about 77 days a year, against 166 at Wellington Airport. Exposed coastal sections still take a beating, and salt wind shapes what grows well.
A dry coast that floods
Paraparaumu is drier than many coastal places, but in October 2003 heavy rain flooded Paekākāriki and a Civil Defence Emergency ran for five days. Trees on soft, wet ground after a big rain deserve a second look.
A plan that still applies
The Kāpiti Coast District Plan 2021 keeps its legal effect during the move to new planning law, so its tree rules are the ones to work to for now.
Trees and power lines on the Kāpiti Coast
Kāpiti's lines company is Electra, which covers the Kāpiti Coast and Horowhenua. For a tree in the lines or a fault, ring Electra, and call 111 if anyone is in danger. Keeping trees on your land clear of overhead lines is the owner's job, and Electra may pay for a first trim in some cases.
Hiring an arborist on the Kāpiti Coast
Before you book anything, look the address up in Schedule 8 and Schedule 2, including the properties either side of yours. If a listed tree is involved, ask the council what it needs before an arborist quotes, and make sure the arborist you pick holds the Level 4 qualification the plan names.