Exotic trees a danger to pa¯ will be felled
Cyclone damage hastens work on Tainui Reserve copse putting Hikanui Pa¯ at risk
After Cyclone Gabrielle ripped through the district, several trees have been left “vulnerable” and are threatening Hikanui Pa¯ in Tainui Reserve. Hastings District Council has announced it has approved $500,000 to $550,000 of unbudgeted funding for the trees to be moved from the top of Tainui Reserve in late summer.
During the cyclone, more than 30 exotic trees fell and arboricultural specialists have advised that the loss of so many trees has left a significant percentage of the rest vulnerable to failing, which risks serious damage to the pa¯ site.
It is important the council has the trees removed as the Hikanui Pa¯ and terraces are registered archaeological sites that the council is charged with protecting.
The pa¯ sits on the middle of three ridgelines in the reserve. The terraces are located on the western ridgeline, and are accessible from the upper Hikanui Drive entrance. The pa¯ contains archaeological features including a ditch and bank, terracing and pits.
Around the pa¯ are large, ageing exotic trees, generally macrocarpa, gum and pine, which have been failing over recent years, opening the canopy and leaving the area vulnerable to wind.
As the site is protected under the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Act, Hastings District Council engaged archaeological specialists to assess the damage caused by Cyclone Gabrielle and its impact on the area.
The archaeological specialists recommended the removal of the remaining tree stand urgently, because of the ongoing risk to the remaining archaeology.
The report said: “The impact of Cyclone Gabrielle on the wider Tainui Reserve and Hikanui Pa¯ specifically has been severe. Multiple trees have failed and fallen both from root ball failure and stem failure.
“Many more are now at risk of failure due to direct compromises from the weather or impact from neighbouring trees, or due to the ‘domino effect’ of being exposed to new wind forces.”
Hastings mayor Sandra Hazlehurst explained the removal of the trees had been under consideration already as part of the draft Reserve Management Plan process for Tainui Reserve, but the impact of Cyclone
Gabrielle left little option but to bring the work forward.
“Tainui Reserve is a very popular
green space for our community, and the pa¯ is a significant site for mana whenua,” Hazlehurst said.
Once the trees are removed, the council plans to plant indigenous species to ensure the area is better preserved for the future, in terms of its cultural values as well as climate change mitigation.
“We will be talking to the community about the process and looking to enlist the assistance of our wonderful care groups, who have done such a great job in the past, to help with the revegetation and ongoing care and maintenance of this special place,” Hazlehurst said.
HDC still needs to obtain archaeological authority from Heritage New Zealand for the felling and removal of the trees, which they would ideally like to start in optimal ground conditions this summer.
The work would be done with guidance from Archaeology Hawke’s Bay and geotechnical engineers and is expected to take up to eight weeks, weather permitting.
How the timber would be disposed of would be confirmed once contractors have been engaged, potentially export or firewood, with a rebate to HDC to help defray the cost.