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KEY POINTS:
As a 71-year-old resident of Auckland, am I likely to see a mature tree up on One Tree Hill in my lifetime?
Bryan Stevens, Titirangi.
It seems unlikely, Bryan. Replanting of One Tree Hill has been put back yet again because of delays in Ngati Whatua's Treaty of Waitangi settlement.
An agreement had been reached between the Crown and Ngati Whatua o Orakei, whereby the iwi would have stewardship over three volcanoes (Maungakiekie/One Tree Hill, Maungawhau/Mt Eden and Puketapapa/Mt Roskill), as well as a large chunk of real estate and millions in cash.
But the Waitangi Tribunal issued a report criticising the Crown's decision to give Ngati Whatua priority over other iwi. These tribes, the tribunal felt, had longstanding connections with the area, and these should be understood and taken into account.
In the meantime the Auckland City Council, within whose jurisdiction Maungakiekie falls, will not move on the replanting until the iwi negotiations are complete.
And then there's the time it takes to grow a tree. A pohutukawa or totara transferred at a young age would grow faster than a tree transplanted when it is more mature.
Even so, it could take up to 50 years for either of these species to get to eight or nine metres tall. The Monterey pine was 20m when it was felled.
Another pine tree would grow faster than either of the native species, but a survey of Aucklanders soon after the Monterey's demise revealed a wish for a native tree or trees to replace it.
The 125-year-old pine tree was cut down in 2000 when it became unsafe after chainsaw attacks in 1994 and 1999. Since then the council has been nurturing pohutukawa and totara seedlings taken from trees in the vicinity of One Tree Hill and Cornwall Park. The seedlings are taken every couple of years and now range in height from 500mm to 4m.
A grove of trees would have the best chance of surviving the wind at the top of Maungakiekie. The council has been advised that the best planting time is April to June, so that the trees can establish root systems during autumn and winter.
