Protesters against the felling of pine trees in an Auckland reserve have vowed to fight on after a local board member appeared in court.
Sarah Trotman, an elected member of the Waitematā Local Board, was arrested last Friday and charged with wilfully trespassing on the Western Springs Forest felling site.
She appeared in the Auckland District Court yesterday and after entering no plea was given diversion until August 16 due to it being a first-time offence.
Trotman was joined by 20 supporters inside the courtroom, with more outside who later marched from the court on to the steps of the Auckland Council in protest at the felling. She said the protest against the felling will continue.
Gael Baldock, a local resident, said at the protest: “We’re here asking that they stop destroying mature native forest at Western Springs.”
There are 198 standing pine trees remaining in the Western Springs Forest, which the council says have reached the end of their natural life and will be replaced with native trees, including kauri and taraire.
According to a technical report by The Tree Consultancy Company in October 2020, the general condition of the pine trees is poor and they will decline further. This creates a danger to pedestrians in the area, the report found.
The protesters say existing native forest underneath the pines is being destroyed by the felling and if the council works more closely with the community a better solution could be found.
Contact Dougie Mackie - dougie.mackie@tvnz.co.nz
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