The Christchurch City Council has paused its plans to remove 20 large trees from Emmett and Riselaw Streets following opposition from residents.

The removal, originally scheduled to begin on Monday, was intended to address safety concerns and ensure compliance with New Zealand electricity regulations.

Council staff claimed while alternative solutions were often available to retain non-compliant trees, no viable options existed for these 20 trees.

Emmett Street resident Dominic McGurk said the council’s communication had been inadequate, forcing residents to demand a meeting at Macfarlane Park on Friday.

“There was no information from the council whatsoever—no letterbox drops, no street signs. We only found out when the council sent a start work notice to The Shirley Village email on Monday for work due to start one week later,” McGurk said.

I jumped on the phone on Tuesday and called the council, but got no response, just silence. Then I contacted elected representatives. This isn’t just consultation—it’s gutting the character of the street. It’s obscene. It’s not just traffic lights or a bit of maintenance.”

While painting protest signs on Thursday, McGurk received a note from the council confirming staff would meet with residents.

“It was very short notice, but we had an amazing turnout. MP for Christchurch East Reuben Davidson showed up, which was great to see,” McGurk said.

McGurk acknowledged council staff who attended the “intense” meeting and admitted they had mishandled the process.

“They agreed to pause the removal, but it was a non-committal response. We demanded the pause because they hadn’t followed their own process to alert residents. It’s not good enough to just say sorry and proceed anyway,” he said.

“I do want to acknowledge the staff who fronted up and admitted they got it wrong. That means a lot. They gave us the forum we wanted, and that was a positive outcome.”

Christchurch City Council Transport Operations Manager Stephen Wright said the council understood the impact of removing trees and considered it a last resort.

“In this instance the trees are being removed as they are in conflict with power lines, and we are obligated to gain compliance with the Electricity (Hazards from Trees) Regulations.

“We have worked through many options, that has meant 35 trees can be saved, through changes to the power network, trimming and other measures, but unfortunately 20 trees remain where the only practical option is for them to be removed.

“Similarly, when removing trees we need to comply with Council’s own tree Policy; this requires us to plant two trees for every one tree we remove.  We are meeting with local residents to explain these requirements and we will work with the local community on developing a plan for replacement tress across the wider area” Wright said.

“Over the last three years less than 10 trees have been removed, for various reasons, including age and condition concerns and following the receipt of ‘cut and trim’ notices from Orion, which we are obligated to comply with.

“We have met our obligations in regard to consultation, however we will look to work more closely with the community regarding replacement planting and any future removals. The final plan and dates for dealing with the removal of these trees was only finalised at the end of last year, needing the works to be tied in and coordinated with the line isolation (cutting power supply). Moving forward we will make sure to engage with the community earlier, even if our plans are to yet finalised.”

Following the meeting, Wright confirmed that the work would still proceed at a later date. “We have committed to providing better communication as some residents were unaware of the work about to take place.”

In a creative protest, McGurk and others attached images of Dr. Seuss’s character The Lorax to some of the trees slated for removal. “It took me forever to put them up because people kept coming out asking what it was about. That confirmed to me that nobody knew what was going on,” McGurk said. “Not everyone was on our side, but at least now they have the information.”

Innes Ward Community Board member Ali Jones welcomed the decision to pause the removals but criticized the council’s lack of communication.

“This is the outcome we were hoping for, so that meaningful engagement with the community can occur,” Jones said.

She commended the council team for organizing the community meeting at short notice but said the reactive nature of the process was disappointing.

“Communication and making sure you’re saying the right things to the right people at the right time, and engaging the community, is not rocket science,” she said. “Sure, there will be mistakes and balls dropped, but it’s happening a little too often, to be frank. I’m really disappointed that it got to this point, especially with something as significant as this.”

Jones said there was a need for a long-term strategy to protect Christchurch’s urban trees.

“There’s a much bigger issue here, and that is, what is the strategy for maintaining these really large, historic, beautiful, and important trees? What is the cost, what is the budget for it?” she said. “We must have a funded strategy regarding these old, beautiful trees.”

Residents expressed similar frustrations, with some reporting they hadn’t received any notice about the removals.  Others said they only received a flyer from Orion about power outages required for the works.

Local resident Sariayah-Leigh McLean voiced her disappointment, urging a more thoughtful approach.

“I understand where the council is coming from, as they are trying to keep the powerlines clear from obstructions,” she said. “However, removing the trees outweighs their intentions. Trees take hundreds of years to grow, and once we remove them, it’s hard to undo that.”

“These trees are symbolic to Emmett Street—they provide character, shade from the heat, and a beautiful scenery all year round.”