Lone tree protester halting felling of macrocarpa at Auckland housing development site

A protester at the intersection of Ash St and Great North Rd, Auckland, where Ockham Developments is planning to fell an old macrocarpa tree Photo / Hayden Woodward

One "rogue" protester clinging to a 120-year-old macrocarpa tree on an Auckland housing development site remains the final barrier before its removal.

Protest group Mana Rākau has surrendered, now saying the tree's removal is the only way the Ockham and Marutūāhu Collective development of 117 units in Avondale can go ahead.

Several protesters who occupied the tree last month now believe keeping the tree in place would cost all parties tens of thousands of dollars and put families who purchased apartments under stress.

But Ockham said a remaining 18-year-old who has been in the tree on the corner of Ash St and Great North Rd since Tuesday is refusing to come down, halting operations.

Founder and managing director Mark Todd said a crane is on-site and the tree is "definitely getting felled in the immediate future – if not today, then tomorrow."

Arborist Zane Wedding, who had been leading the protests, said they have not been in vain.

"I would love to see this tree remain, but we came to realise that it was no longer actually ever going to happen."

A police officer at the protest. Photo / Hayden Woodward

Wedding said the protesters are instead focusing on the fight for blanket tree protection across Tāmaki Makaurau.

He hopes at least 13 trees on a list of 587 will be granted protection.

"It allows us to save other trees in Avondale and shine the light on Auckland Council's inability to protect trees," he said.

"Some that are unprotected are precious taonga and I can't understand why the council won't step up to the plate."

Protesters at the Ockham Developments site. Photo / Hayden Woodward

Todd is publicly backing the call for general urban tree protection policy to be resurrected.

"The council needs to pull its socks up and pay for 500 trees that are waiting to be scheduled, it's the only protection they can have in the current RMA [Resource Management Act] environment."

But he is defending Ockham's decision to fell the Avondale macrocarpa.

"We feel very comfortable with the process this tree went through.

"We've got to balance the high-density apartment zone - two blocks from train station - and this ageing macrocarpa with a four-metre crack down the middle, near the end of its life."

Protests have not delayed construction of the units, which is due to start later this month, Todd said.

Auckland Council's chief of strategy, Megan Tyler, said the council had listened to both parties and was happy to work with them through a private plan change request.