End of an era for the Taupahi Rd tree in Tūrangi

It’s the end of an era for the tree on Taupahi Rd in Tūrangi which will be removed this Friday 13 March.

In November 2024, this protected tree was due for a trim. Unfortunately, it was nearly felled by accident. Our team and the community were deeply affected and upset by this incident. We took responsibility for that at the time, and the experience has led to changes in how we manage tree maintenance work with contractors, particularly for protected trees, to help prevent this happening again.

The cost of removing the tree is being covered by the contractor, not the ratepayer. The wood will be cut into rings and left on site for the community to collect once work is finished.

In its place, we will plant a Red Oak (Quercus rubra). To make sure it has the best chance of survival, we will wait for the next planting season (May to August) before it goes in the ground.

We want to acknowledge our Tūrangi community for their patience and understanding during this time. As well as the independent investigation, we went through a resource consent process so that we could legally remove the tree.

The work will take place between 8am and 3pm. There won't be any road closures and residents will be able to gain entry to and from your home all day.