Resident Battles Auckland Council's ‘Ridiculous' Choice Of Berm Tree Criticised
Article – Torika Tokalau – Local Democracy Reporter
An Auckland resident says authorities need to carefully consider the trees they plant on berms after her complaints of a leafy liquidamber planted outside her home fell on deaf ears.
Papakura resident Sarah Thompson said she was surprised when she found that Auckland Council had planted a dwarf version of a liquidamber on her berm last month.
A berm is the grassed area that sits between the road and either the footpath or the property boundary.
Thompson was concerned about how big tree would grow.
'You could hardly pick a more ridiculous tree to plant on a berm,' Thompson said.
'They've planted them on alternate berms all down the street, and they said they want more shade and I take their point on that.
'But, they've managed to plant one on an incredibly shady berm, it's already got massive trees on there … they haven't thought this through at all.'
Liquidambar styraciflua, commonly known as sweetgum, is a tall, fast-growing tree known for its distinctive star-shaped leaves, which change colours in the autumn.
When matured, they can reach a height of around 20 metres, with an extensive root system. A dwarf version grows as tall as 3m.
Auckland Council says the tree is known for its strong form, vivid autumn colour, and resilience in urban environments.
However, Thompson said the trees grow to be huge.
'And it is deciduous with massive leaf fall that will clog the drains.'
Thompson and a few of her neighbours wondered why another tree wasn't considered.
'A fruit tree would be nice and provide food for the local community, or a native.'
She raised her concerns with council, about the lack of consultation with residents.
'We got a leaflet in our mailbox, on the same day of the planting, and the email address provided didn't work.'
Several factors considered
Council's Urban Forest, Arboriculture and Ecology manager David Stejskal said tree species for street planting were selected carefully by council urban foresters.
Guided by the Auckland Urban Ngahere Strategy and informed by a regional tree palette tailored to local conditions, they considered a range of factors, including space constraints, and the expected long-term performance of the tree, he said.
'While Liquidambar can grow to be a large tree over time, it is valued for its strong form, vivid autumn colour, and resilience in urban environments.
'Where appropriate, council uses smaller cultivars and applies root management techniques such as root barriers to reduce the risk of damage to nearby footpaths and underground infrastructure.'
He said the Papakura Local Board, in its Local Board Plan 2023, held concerns that Papakura had low tree canopy cover of only 14 percent.
'Consequently, the Local Board is supporting an increase in the tree canopy through tree planting, especially in streets and parks,' he said.
Stejskal said council welcomed community feedback on planting choices, and was happy to assess individual sites where there were specific concerns.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
3 hours ago
- RNZ News
What you need to know about Auckland's new dog rules
The limit of how many dogs can be walked at once will come into effect from January 1, 2026. Photo: Supplied/LDR New regional dog rules have been adopted by Auckland Council, which includes how many dogs one person can walk at a time, and where. The changes, approved at last Thursday's Governing Body meeting, included updates on leash, off leash and dog free areas at nine regional parks , and a limit on the number of dogs that can be walked at once. Councillor Josephine Bartley said the review of Auckland's Dog Policy and Bylaw was needed so everyone could enjoy Auckland's shared spaces safely. "We know how much Aucklanders love getting out with their dogs, particularly in our beautiful regional parks," Bartley said. "Our dog rules aim to carefully accommodate these needs as well as those of others who also want to use shared outdoor spaces safely and freely." Qualified dog walkers will be allowed to walk up to 12 dogs at once , on or off-leash, as long as they kept under control. To walk up to 12 dogs, dog walkers must register with the council and follow the conditions attached to their registration. Other dog owners can walk a maximum of four dogs at once, with two off leash, as long as they are kept under control. "We have listened to public feedback and recognise, for example, that commercial dog walking is a growing industry with many walkers regularly using Auckland's public spaces." To support this to be done in a safe and responsible way, council was introducing a registration system, she said. "This will allow commercial dog walkers to walk a higher number of dogs, as long as they keep them under control and stick to the conditions, so we can all enjoy our public places." The limit of how many dogs can be walked at once will come into effect from 1 January, 2026. Changes at regional parks will come into effect from 1 August. On leash, off leash and dog-free areas have been updated in nine regional parks. They are - Auckland Botanic Gardens, Hunua Ranges Regional Park, Long Bay Regional Park, Mahurangi Regional Park, Pākiri Regional Park, Shakespear Regional Park, Tāpapakanga Regional Park, Waitawa Regional Park and Whakanewha Regional Park. Additional work is being done to finalise changes to dog rules at Te Ārai Regional Park. "Dogs are clearly an important part of our lives - by the end of 2024, more than 135,000 dogs were registered in Tāmaki Makaurau. "But our regional parks are also home to native species like the northern dotterel and critically endangered fairy tern, and unfortunately, dogs do pose a threat to these birds and their habitats." You can find the full list of dog access rules in the council's Policy on Dogs here . LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
NZ Herald
8 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Golden Buddhist statue set to ‘tower above' horrified rural community because council says it's art
The answer - to their amazement and horror - was that the statue of Buddhist master Guru Rinpoche had been submitted as a work of art and been accepted by Auckland Council as no resource consent was needed. And so, with no resource consent process, there was no obligation to tell neighbours and, it turns out, no way to successfully challenge council's decision. Waiwera Valley, north of Auckland, is a sleepy rural haven untouched by city life yet less than an hour's drive in to the central city. For some who live there, the peace and quiet of country life is a major drawcard they now fear is threatened. Neighbours have already witnessed a gathering and ceremony at the foot of the statue site, with chanting, cymbals and drums captured on video. Resident David Pennington described the statue as a 'monstrosity' and said neighbours had formed the Waiwera Valley Action Group to fight against it. 'It's horrifying, it's absolutely horrifying. The thought that anybody could imagine putting a 16.5m golden Buddhist statue in the middle of a rural valley would be an acceptable thing to do without talking to any of the neighbors … is quite frankly appalling.' The statue of Guru Rinpoche is being built in the centre of sleepy Waiwera Valley, north of Auckland. He said the nature of the 'picturesque rural' valley was threatened, not only by the towering structure on a prominent hill but the potential for it to attract large numbers of people wanting to see it. Pennington said homeowners feel vulnerable and sidelined by a council process that has allowed the construction of the plinth and statue without any input from neighbours because those building it had described it as art. The Auckland Unitary Plan - Auckland Council's manual for the development and use of the city's land - says art in rural areas does not need to go through a resource consent process. The problem is there is no definition of what art is Waiwera Valley resident David Pennington That means a structure can simply be built without wider consultation if it is accepted as 'art' by council. 'The problem is there is no definition of what art is,' Pennington said. 'Calling something art which is 16-and-a-half metres tall and putting it prominently on a hill where it's going to dominate the entire area around - that's a planning loophole. 'We can't get council to change their mind. Their response is, because it's artwork and it falls within the Auckland unitary plan, then they are obliged to approve it.' Waiwera Valley resident Klaudia Batten - a 27-year local - said the process followed for the statue could be repeated in any rural neighbourhood across the city. 'Anything can be erected and called artwork, and there's just no guidelines to protect yourself from it. It wasn't open to public discussion. It was done behind closed doors.' The Waiwera Valley construction site where a 16.5m Buddhist statue and plinth is being erected. Photo / David Fisher It was Batten who uncovered the existence of the statue plan after rumours started flying around local Facebook pages. Her inquiry with council quickly put fact to rumour as she discovered copies of the application for a Certificate of Compliance and architecturally-drawn plans for the proposed statue. On seeing the plans, Batten said she was 'absolutely horrified … because it's clearly not artwork'. 'I would define artwork as something you see on the Gibbs farm, you know, something abstract, but this is clearly a religious deity that's very revered in their religion and a clearly-defined building.' The plans revealed the organisation behind the project is Jeta's Grove Charitable Trust, a member of the NZ Buddhist Council. Its founding documents filed with the Charities Register declare it exists to spread and teach the Buddhist faith. They say: 'The activity will take place in the temple/retreat centre in Puhoi and other venues as decided by the trust.' Puhoi village is a few kilometres to the North of Waiwera Valley but is not home to a Buddhist retreat, sparking the Waiwera Valley residents' concerns it may refer to the statue and plinth. A lawyer acting for Jeta's Grove Charitable Trust - named for Jetavana, a famous Buddhist monastery - sent a statement saying: 'Our client advises that the statue is a gift, intended as a symbol of peaceful harmony for all faiths, while promoting the ethics and teaching of the Buddha.' Russell McVeagh special counsel Brigette Shone said - in relation to consultation with neighbours - the trust had done all it was legally required to do. Land Information NZ records show the land in Waiwera Valley on which the statue and plinth sit belong to Nature Trustee Ltd whose sole director and shareholder is Remuera resident Shaoying Li. The Herald has made contact with her through Charles Li, who lives at the same Remuera address, and sent questions by email. There has been no response as yet. Auckland councillor Greg Sayers has taken up the residents' cause, describing the piece as 'towering over all these neighbours' properties'. 'The actual location of it probably isn't appropriate and they will have to endure looking at it. The works are permitted. The community can't stop them. They've built it in the neighbour's face. It's inconsiderate.' He referred to the Gibbs farm, less than 30 minutes' drive away, saying: 'When you go past Gibbs, you can't really see it from the road.' When Sayers raised the religious aspect of it with council planners and questioned if the Buddhist statue was art, they referred him to Michelangelo's religious works which include the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and the famous sculpture of the biblical David. In a letter to a lawyer hired by the residents' group, Auckland Council head of resource consents James Hassall pointed to a recent Environment Court ruling which said a shipping container with wooden window frames and a door - intended to raise awareness of housing shortages - was art. In the letter, Hassall said the Certficate of Compliance had the effect of a resource consent but specifically did not have the 'usual review provisions' so 'once issued, the council cannot overturn it'. Auckland councillor Greg Sayers, who represents the Rodney ward. Photo / Michael Craig. He said it was not clear what further information was needed to confirm the statue was an artwork 'given there is no definition in the Auckland Unitary Plan and that the applicant is entitled to a broad interpretation of the term'. Hassall said the artwork rule applied in rural zones as long as it met other rules, which the statue did. However, he said if the statue led to the site being used as a place of religious worship then it likely it would need resource consent. If that was the case, he said 'it is also possible that the structure would no longer be considered a permitted artwork'. If it had to be removed, the job of doing so would sit with the consent holder. Hassall said there was an inquiry underway into concerns earthworks around the statue had gone over the allowed area. He said there were also inquiries into 'concerns over gatherings that have taken place on the site during construction'. Massey University's Professor Heather Galbraith - whose expertise includes art criticism and public art - said: 'Religious and ecclesiastic sculpture has been around for millenia.' Galbraith said there was a high degree of subjectivity involved - what might be art for some could 'leave someone else cold'. Artist and associate professor Richard Reddaway, also at Massey University, said the problem appeared to be with council rules allowing art to bypass the consenting process. 'It's been pretty much established that art can be anything. Whether it's art or not is not the point - it's that it's impacting on the community.' David Fisher is based in Northland and has worked as a journalist for more than 30 years, winning multiple journalism awards including being twice named Reporter of the Year and being selected as one of a small number of Wolfson Press Fellows to Wolfson College, Cambridge. He joined the Herald in 2004. Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
NZ Herald
8 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Buddha statue in quiet rural valley
Neighbours are upset Auckland Council approved a 16.5m Buddha statue and plinth to be built in North Auckland's Waiwera Valley. Video / David Fisher, Supplied
