South Auckland locals don black to mourn treasured trees

South Auckland locals don black to mourn treasured trees

A group appealing Auckland Transport's decision to potentially build a viaduct through rare native bush says the organisation hasn't done enough research.

Trees hundreds of years old will be cut down to make way for the Mill Rd corridor upgrade, and today a ceremony was held to grieve their loss.

Dressed in black for mourning, they weren't grieving the loss of one of their own, but a native puriri tree.

Believed to be around 400 years old, the tree is part of 1500 square metres of native bush set to eventually be bulldozed after Auckland Transport accepted a recommendation to free up land for its $300 million Mill Rd project.

The "Grieving Grandmothers", as they call themselves, today made floral offerings to the tree. They say they're letting it feel their grief.

"The moment we made contact with it, we just felt this is a tragedy; this is a living entity," says Juliet Batten. "This is a living being, this tree, and it's going to be killed."

The property is named Cheesman's Bush after its former owner, Graham Cheesman, who died suddenly last year. He had been fighting to save the section, which ecologist John Harger says is unique.

"This bush is the way probably Maori would have found it when they arrived in New Zealand," says Mr Harger. "It's that old and that stable a structure."

The Tree Council has lodged an appeal with the Environment Court against the project, and chairman Sean Freeman says Auckland Transport hasn't done enough research about the impact losing the bush will have.

"One has to question the process, how rigorous it was, the rationale being applied, why are they rushing this," says Mr Freeman.

Auckland Transport wouldn't comment on Cheesman's Bush given an appeal process is underway, but on its website has promised around 22,000 square metres of native planting.

But for the Grieving Grandmothers and other locals, Cheesman's Bush is irreplaceable.

Newshub.