A long-standing dispute over the removal of exotic trees on one of Auckland's maunga has escalated into a series of confrontations with protesters.
The Tūpuna Maunga Authority, which governs the 14 ancestral mountains, plans to cut down non-native trees on Ōtāhuhu/Mount Richmond as part of restoration works.
However, those opposed to the plans have been protesting at the site, calling on authorities to stop contractors from cutting down 278 exotic trees.
Tensions boiled over last week after a High Court injunction sought by the protesters to halt the tree felling was rejected.
Later that day, a member of the public drove into a contractor working on the site, and a 65-year-old has since been charged over the incident.
Meanwhile, the protesters have said they were assaulted at the site after their peaceful opposition was met with hostility.
"It breaks my heart. That was a grand old beautiful tree," one protester said, pointing to a felled exotic tree.
Protest group leader Shirley Waru said that the scene was like a "slaughterhouse" and that protesters were in mourning over the trees.
But the authority has said it followed a public notification process, where it held hearings and received submissions from various stakeholders — including some of the protesters.
Authority spokesperson Nick Turoa said 19,000 native species had already been planted.
"We're looking at restoring the native vegetation to the tupuna maunga. That involves removing some, but not all, of the exotic plants on the maunga," he said.
Turoa said that contractors were just trying to do their job and that the work site was unsafe for members of the public.
Protesters suggest they didn't object to native trees being planted but said they wanted a staged approach to the project.
The authority faced similar opposition in 2019 over the felling of some exotic trees from Ōwairaka/Mount Albert.
The Supreme Court later ruled that the authority had not properly consulted with the public, and ordered it to pause its work there.
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