Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment - Te Kaitiaki Taiao a Te Whare Pāremata

Commissioner's preface

People can be passionate about trees, and greenery in general - for good reasons. Vegetation has great value in amenity terms for the provision of what is called ecosystem services: the releasing of oxygen; absorbing carbon dioxide and water; moderating micro-climates, giving shade and shelter from winds; providing habitat for wildlife - birds and insects, both native and exotic species. These contributions to environmental quality are poorly understood and hence have not been adequately valued by some city politicians and administrators.

Executive summary

North Shore City contains striking coastal landforms such as cliffs, sweeping sandy beaches with coastal pohutukawa, and bush-clad inlets. Significant natural features include a series of ridgelines with steep gullies and bush-clad escarpments. Retention of trees and bush on private land is a significant challenge in North Shore City with intensification of the residential area, smaller sites, and the building of larger houses.

Eight case studies were examined in detail and deficiencies were identified with: council knowledge of the vegetation assets of the city; its policy frameworks; processes used to assess resource consents; and in council understanding of what constitutes good vegetation management.

Trees are often recognised as contributing to landscape and amenity values in an urban area, but their role in maintaining life-supporting processes and assisting the functioning of the urban ecosystem is seldom recognised. The debate about tree protection on the North Shore has revolved around individual property rights relative to community rights and the common good. There is a need to shift the focus from individual trees to the management of the urban ecosystem.

The council has identified coastal vegetation, bush and some significant trees for protection under the district plan. However, there has been no ecological survey to identify significant natural areas and the biodiversity values of North Shore City.

Policies and plans that address the management of urban vegetation are administered in several sections of the council eg planning, parks and roads. The council could investigate the preparation of an urban vegetation plan to integrate vegetation management policies. The plan could address the management of coastal vegetation, bush areas, parks and reserves, significant trees, street trees and the planting of road reserves. The plan could include an urban vegetation policy to address replanting, restoration and rehabilitation of both indigenous and exotic species.

Findings & recommendations

Recommendations to the North Shore City Council:

• Conduct a detailed survey and assessment of urban vegetation and biodiversity
• Review the provisions of the proposed district plan to ensure that the natural environment objectives can be achieved with or without general tree protection
• Improve the processing and evaluation of resource consent applications and audit a selection of consent applications and council evaluations to assist quality improvement
• Establish a comprehensive monitoring programme of the state of urban vegetation and improve the level of compliance monitoring
• Streamline decision-making in respect of enforcement action and commit to using enforcement measures as a means of improving public confidence in plan provisions and consent conditions
• Undertake a further series of education initiatives
• Develop an urban vegetation plan to integrate all policies and programmes for the management of urban vegetation.