The felling of a large stand of mature gum trees next to Kerikeri’s town centre appears to be on hold after concerns were raised that kiwi could be living in the area.
Work had been due to start in mid-October to cut down a roughly 24-hectare block of trees known as the Bing Property, bordered by the town centre, Kerikeri River and the Heritage Bypass.
The trees are mostly 90-year-old eucalypts and redwoods, forming the town’s distinctive skyline, with some natives in the understorey.
The land is zoned residential, and no permission is required to fell the trees.
The Department of Conservation has confirmed, however, it has asked the developer to check the property for kiwi before felling starts.
Bay of Islands operations manager Bronwyn Bauer-Hunt said DoC had contacted the planners with a suggestion they put a kiwi-detecting dog through the property.
“We have had reports of kiwi being heard in that area. Our concern is if they are going to check in case there are taonga species in there.”
Bauer-Hunt said it was standard procedure for forestry companies to check an area for kiwi before felling.
“And we believe that is their responsibility,” she said.
DoC had no comment on the development itself. The department’s concern was about the species that could be living in the area, she said.
If kiwi were found, DoC would support the developers with translocating the birds to a safe location.
RNZ understands a formal letter was sent to the developer, Turnstone, on Wednesday requesting a sweep of the area with a kiwi dog.
RNZ has contacted Turnstone, via its planner, for comment.
The Bing property, currently covered in 90-year-old gum trees, is the last significant chunk of undeveloped, residential-zoned land in central Kerikeri. Photo / Aerial Vision
Kiwi stronghold
The wider Kerikeri area is a stronghold for kiwi .
Purerua Peninsula, in the northern Bay of Islands, holds the record for New Zealand’s highest kiwi call count, thanks to years of intensive pest control.
The Kerikeri suburbs of Rangitane and Opito Bay are known for some of the highest kiwi densities of any residential area in the country.
Sightings in the town centre are rare, though in 2010 a kiwi was spotted running around in the Mill Lane industrial area.
Meanwhile, work is continuing to plan the housing developments that could replace the gum trees.
A concept plan prepared last year by the Planning Collective shows a new road through the property, running parallel to Kerikeri Rd and linking Homestead Rd with the Heritage Bypass.
If built, that would create the town centre bypass long called for by councillors and local planning advocates.
The plan splits the Bing Property in two, with six “super lots” at the northern end, closest to the Heritage Bypass, and a “lifestyle village” at the southern end adjoining the town centre, with a reception building and a café overlooking Kerikeri River.
A “green link” would connect the new bypass road to the river.
The idea is to create a mixed-use precinct connecting the town centre with the river, with a variety of retail and commercial premises, apartments, townhouses, terraced houses, and standalone dwellings.
