Tree Protection Issue Strikes Chord with Public
MEDIA RELEASE TUESDAY 1ST SEPTEMBER
A public meeting held at the Grey Lynn Community Centre, in response to the tree protection aspect of the Resource Management Simplifying and Streamlining Amendment (RMA) Bill, has been hailed a success by organisers.
The New Zealand Arboricultural Association (NZAA) Inc., The Tree Council (Inc) and Greenscene Limited (the country’s largest specialist arboricultural consultancy) were joined by Dr Russel Norman, Co-Leader, Green Party, David Cunliffe, MP, Labour Party, David Shearer, MP, Labour Party, and more than 200 members of the public to discuss Clause 52 of the Amendment Bill and its potential ramifications.
Clause 52 states that, in urban environments, only trees or groups of trees that are identified in a plan, in a reserve protected by the Reserves Act, or subject to a conservation management plan or strategy are protected under the Act – that means many trees, currently under the protection of the RMA, would lose that protection should the Amendment Bill proceed unchanged into legislation.
After discussing various options, the overriding view of attendees was to urge the Government to delete Clause 52 and review tree protection rules and the administering of all consenting processes at a local authority level.
Lisa Sanderson, NZAA Vice President says this position and the implementation of modifications already recommended to the Government in the Select Committee Hearings would streamline the process without legislative intervention.
“We appreciate that some of the existing rules and resource consent processes as they currently stand can be costly and cumbersome; however we believe Clause 52 goes too far. Over time, this clause would downgrade the quality of our urban environment and have negative economic and environmental impacts.
“This meeting was an opportunity for the public to better understand this important issue and have their say. We urge the Government to heed these views – New Zealanders want an effective level of protection for trees and valuable vegetation and there are options available to ensure both tree protection and commonsense decisions are achieved.”
Meeting organisers plan to continue raising awareness of the issue through a number of channels.
General Information/Contacts
For further information please visit the following links:
- RadioNZ Morning Report (4 minute broadcast)
- More RMA information on this site
- www.thetreecouncil.org.nz
For further details contact:
Lisa Sanderson – Vice President
New Zealand Arboricultural Association Inc.
Tel: 021 058 7118
Email: lisa.sanderson@clear.net.nz
Sigrid Shayer – Chair
The Tree Council (Inc)
Tel: 09 828 3727 or 021 058 2812
Email: sigrid@pl.net
Stacy Colyer – Director
Greenscene Limited
Tel: 021 811 752
Email: stacy@greenscene.net.nz
…when Gerry Brownlee talks about gaining access to natural resources he is not talking about New Zealanders being able to appreciate the fecundity of our forests and wildlife by being able to walk and camp amongst it. Rather, he means – mining companies should be able to prospect where they please regardless of what or who might be living on top…. (contin.)
When all the dust has settled, both arborists and Councils will need to come to terms with the new reality. That is to say that within two years blanket District Plan tree protection rules within urban areas will be no more.
Instead of continuing on with the battle against clause 52, now that the battle has been lost, it would be far more productive to utilise our resources and efforts to ensure that the new reality has the best outcome for those trees which will lose their current protective status.
This means that the public and the NZAA should now begin to lobby and persuade their local Councils to ensure that the process of individually assessing, plotting and listing ’significant trees’ is commenced as soon as possible.
This will mean that Councils will need to appoint skilled arborists to assess urban trees using an agreed amenity assessment methodology. Such trees will need to be plotted and included within a plan change, along with relevant rules and policies.
Policy planners and arborists will need to work together to ensure that all the ’significant’ trees are given protection against removal and/or pruning.
Lets get this process under way ASAP!! NZAA should be leading this process, giving advice and guidance to local councils, devising standards and protocols which can be adopted nationally. Now is the time for a positive response to clause 52.
Lets take this negative and turn it into a positive. This change could herald a new era of professionalised and targeted individual tree protection within the urban areas of New Zealand. If we take the time to ensure our local councils take up the challenge of protecting the urban forest, all will not be lost.