September 16, 2020
Mayor challenges on Avondale tree chop
An arborist perched in a stand of threatened native trees in Avondale says the solution to the stand off lies in the hands of Auckland mayor Phil Goff.
More than 100 people gathered at dawn at Canal Rd to prevent contractors getting on site to remove the century-old grove, which is coming down as a condition of the sale of the land to developers.
Zane Wedding says the contractors turned up at 7.30 am backed by police and security guards.
He says about half the 50 trees have been felled, but the remaining trees include some of the oldest and most rare.
"What we need is Phil Goff to come down here and purchase this land. This land is a taonga. There are trees on this land that probably pre-date the Treaty of Waitangi. We need Phil Goff down here and we need him to purchase this land as a treasure to give back to this community." Mr Wedding says.
Auckland Council has ruled out forcing private landowners to consider other options, but is pushing for a reinstatement of the tree protection laws removed by the National Government in 2012.
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