Desperate fight to save historic Norfolk pine at Snells Beach

  • 26/08/2017

Frustration is growing at a beach north of Auckland, with land developers set to fell a large pine tree.

Vavasour Investments has been given consent to remove the Norfolk pine at Snells Beach while the surrounding land will be turned into housing, with the area where the tree sits to be made into a reserve.

But the Tree Council says it was planted more than 150 years ago and should be saved.

"We need houses, we need roofs over our heads, but we also need an environment that supports us and nurtures us," chairman Sean Freeman told Newshub.

"Significant old trees are the foundation to maintaining that stability."

Local resident Michele Mackenzie says the community is rallying to protect the tree.

"Everybody is devastated, absolutely devastated. It means so much to so many people," she told Newshub.

Auckland Council says the tree was never nominated as being protected and any decision rests with the developer.

Consent was granted to fell the tree because it could drop a lot of litter, including branches, endangering those in a public reserve.

Newshub.