Mayor backtracks on Queen St trees

Another chance for Queen Street trees. Picture / Paul Estcourt

Auckland City Mayor Dick Hubbard last night did a u-turn and said he would consider saving the 20 condemned trees in Queen St.

Only hours earlier, Mr Hubbard told the Herald it was too late to save them and named January 13 and January 14 as the date for the so-called "Queen St massacre".

Speaking from his holiday home in Queenstown, Mr Hubbard said saving the trees would incur a "multimillion-dollar mess" for ratepayers because the council had let the contract on the $30 million Queen St upgrade for work to begin next Wednesday.

But after getting wind of the "depth of feeling coming through", Mr Hubbard phoned the Herald back and said the council could end up delaying work or rejigging the contract on the trees when he returned to Auckland on Wednesday.

"One of the suggestions is that maybe we have to inspect the case on a tree-by-tree basis," said Mr Hubbard.

The mayoral u-turn followed growing howls of protest yesterday.

Veteran newspaper campaigner Pat Booth joined children's advocate Lesley Max by saying he would chain himself to the trees, and NewstalkZB host Leighton Smith promised to make it his "personal responsibility" to remove Mr Hubbard from office if the trees were felled.

The mayor's response is a repeat of the stand he took over the Vulcan Lane and Khartoum Place upgrades. His positions won public plaudits but rocked the council bureaucracy.

It is the third central-city upgrade to turn into a disaster for chief executive David Rankin and senior lieutenants Jill McPherson and Jo Wiggins.

The latest disaster comes only days after Mr Rankin released a review of the consultation process associated with Vulcan Lane and other central-city upgrades.

Mr Rankin said public concern about what officers had proposed for Vulcan Lane - ripping up the red pebble pavers and laying bluestone - had been a "tough but valuable lesson".

"We were all reminded of the importance of listening carefully to what people say during consultation and not missing important messages."

The review said starting the Queen St upgrade was necessary for council progress towards its objectives for the central business district.

Mr Hubbard admitted he had not seen the arborist's report which recommended cutting down the 20 trees and replacing them with cabbage trees. He claimed some of the trees were diseased, but had no evidence to back this up.

Trees earmarked for removal largely had health problems, had been planted under or too close to verandas or were in the wrong location for new and wider footpaths, he said.

One of Mr Hubbard's closest allies on the council, who did not want to be named, said earlier that the image of the "chainsaw massacre" and people chaining themselves to trees needed to be acknowledged.

The councillor said there were two issues: the removal of the trees and what trees should be planted in Queen St.

"Nikau and cabbage trees are not the answer in that environment. You could maybe plant clumps of natives at focal points but planting cabbage trees in a footpath in a box or seating arrangement just doesn't add up."

 

Exotics 'good for 150 years'

Tree specialist Graeme Platt yesterday inspected the condemned trees on Queen St and took to task independent arborist Gordon Ikin, who has recommended removing 20 trees as part of a $30 million makeover.

Mr Platt, a leading authority on native trees, said the exotics were mostly in perfect health and verging on maturity.

"Subject to a bit of nutrition and care, they will go on and serve the city well for another 150 years," he said.

Mr Platt did support cabbage trees and nikau palms in little groves but said: "I'm not for the removing of existing trees to do it. Never chop out a good tree. It is a fundamental rule."

Mr Ikin could not be reached for comment.