After more than three years of work finding and assessing amazing trees around the region The Tree Council is delighted that Auckland Council has just publicly notified Plan Change 113.

This plan change proposes adding 174 new individual trees and 29 new groups of trees to Schedule 10 Notable Trees of the Auckland Unitary Plan. The Tree Council is responsible for nominating 118 of the individual trees and 9 of the groups of trees included in the plan change. We nominated over 260 trees in total.

We would like to say a huge THANK YOU to all those members and supporters who suggested the locations of trees for us to assess for nomination. We would never have known about most of these trees if it wasn't for you.

Plan Change 113 is open for submissions now. PLEASE take a few minutes to make a submission to say that you support the plan change in its entirety. There are bound to be landowners opposing trees on their properties being scheduled. So it is important that there is support from the public for protecting these trees.

You can find the details of PC113 here:
https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/plans-projects-policies-reports-bylaws/our-plans-strategies/unitary-plan/auckland-unitary-plan-modifications/Pages/details.aspx?UnitaryPlanId=283

We will be reviewing the details of the plan change over the next couple of weeks and deciding whether we have additional trees we want to nominate as part of our submission.

Please make a submission by filling in the online submission form at: 
www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/planchanges or
emailing your submission to unitaryplan@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
The deadline is 23 June 2025.

Anne Street Trees Petition

The Devonport-Takapuna Local Board recently voted to remove two rare umbrella trees from the road reserve in Anne Street, Devonport at the request of local residents who claim they are causing flooding of the street.

The Tree Council has requested that Auckland Council publicly notifies the consent application for the removal so that evidence and submissions can be presented to counter this view. Without public notification there is no opportunity for anyone to have a say or for any decision to be appealed. The more public interest there is in the case, the more likely it is to be publicly notified. 

Please sign this petition calling for public notification of the consent and share with your networks: https://www.change.org/p/support-publicly-notifying-the-consent-to-remove-rare-trees-on-anne-street-devonport

These trees are Umbrella Trees (were Schefflera pueckleri now Heptapleurum calyptratum) and there are only three other locations in the Auckland Region in which they are known. They are not a pest species but a rare and valuable living asset.
They do not cause flooding. Removing these trees will not prevent Anne Street from flooding. It is a flat, flood prone floodplain who’s stormwater drain is prone to backing up when the tide is in. This is the cause of the flooding, not the trees.

Arbor Day Planting Event

The Tree Council is partnering with EcoMatters Environment Trust and the New Zealand Arboricultural Association (NZ ARB) to provide a tree planting opportunity for members and supporters for Arbor Day on Saturday 7 June 2024.

The event will take place from 10am - noon in New Lynn, Auckland and will be followed by a free BBQ.

Pre-registration is required for attendees so that we know how many plants & how much equipment & food will be needed. Please click this link to register.

You will be given details of the location once you have registered. The site is somewhat challenging so a reasonable standard of fitness is required. You will need to wear closed footwear (gumboots or similar), wet weather gear & gardening gloves are recommended.

Many thanks to the Whau Local Board and Auckland Council Parks for supporting the restoration of this public land and providing the funding for the work.

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