Kahikatea rise from the phoenix’s ashes

Kahikatea, ko¯ whai and maples are at the top of the planting list when it comes to replacing the 19 phoenix palms that got the chop in a Waikato town last year.

Selected residents in Matamata will have their say on what trees should replace the palms that lined Tamihana St for over 70 years.

Nesting pigeons, unwanted rodents and excrement covered footpaths were the last straw for residents, sparking a 28 signature petition to council asking to have the trees removed. The palms are also poisonous and are banned from being planted in some parts of the country.

The Matamata-Piako District Council will present four options to Tamihana St residents, but the wider community will not be consulted, as previously discussed.

The first two options are kahikatea and small-leaved maple trees or Kahikatea and ko¯ whai.

Alternatively, residents can opt for no trees, or ‘other’.

Council’s park and reserves operations manager Todd Makeham said the trees were based on general feedback from the community, to include native, but also add some colour.

The third option – to plant nothing – was another option when speaking with residents, Makeham said.

The kahikatea is a low maintenance, native species that grow across the district. While they can take over 600 years to reach up to their maximum height of 60 metres, they are a lot smaller when compared to the 18 metre tall phoenix palms.

New Zealand’s best known native tree – the small-leaved, buttery coloured ko¯ whai, is the country’s unofficial national flower. It attracts tui, bellbird, ka¯ ka¯ and New Zealand pigeon. The Sophora microphylla can grow up to 25 metres in height.

Furthermore, adding a brilliant redorange to the street is the exotic, deciduous Acer freemanii maple tree, at a maximum height of 18 metres.

Matamata councillor Adrienne Wilcock thinks the street already holds amenity value, without the need to add more trees.

‘‘But I’m interested to hear what the community, especially the neighbours have to say.’’

Council is preparing to consult with Tamihana St residents this month.