June 30 2000

Resource Consent Process Begins for One Tree Hill

Auckland City has begun the resource consent process necessary in order to replace the ailing pine tree on One Tree Hill.

The Parks and Recreation Committee today endorsed the lodging of the consent application for removal of the current tree. It will consider the draft resource consent for replacing the tree at a later meeting.

Two consents are required – one for the removal of the current tree and the second for any replacement – and are being lodged separately. The first application is being lodged on a non-notified basis, so that the tree can be removed only when its state meets the tight criteria for removal of a sick tree in the District Plan, or immediately, if it is concluded that the tree has become a danger to the public. In either case it would be necessary to formally remove the pine from the schedule of protected trees.

Specialists currently monitor the tree’s health and stability. This ongoing monitoring will determine when the tree has reached the point where it will become unsafe and at that time it will be removed in a controlled manner. This will protect the archaeological and geological values of the site as well as minimise risk to the public.

Replacing the tree is a more complex issue, requiring widespread consultation and a notified resource consent. Auckland City has begun consulting with regional iwi, the New Zealand Historic Places Trust, Cornwall Park Trust, and others about a replacement and this process is expected to take some time.

No decision has yet been made about what will replace the pine, but Auckland City arborists are preparing a proposal for a replacement in accordance with the One Tree Hill Domain Management Plan which has been in place since 1998.

It is expected that the application for a replacement tree will follow later this year.

ENDS
For further information contact:
Cameron Parr, Recreation and Community Services, Tel 373 9554
Ref: LJ

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