Ōhope resident Jo Steen is devastated that two pohutukawa and other native trees growing on the Ōhope spit have been poisoned and cut down, due to an “inexplicable miscommunication” between Ōhope Beach Golf Links and someone carrying out exotic tree removal on behalf of the club.

The trees are on Whakatāne District Council reserve land between the golf links and the beach.

Jo was the first to discover the destruction of the trees, as she has been regularly walking and running that part of the beach for nearly 30 years.

During that time she had followed the tenuous survival of the trees on the sand spit since they were about waist high.

She says the trees were self-sown and their survival, until now, had been “a tale of triumph over adversary”.

Decades ago, she had seen them survive periods of extreme erosion during which some of the original clump of trees had been washed away.

“Then we had a bad drought and they looked like they were going to die, but remarkably they survived. This past several years we’ve had a period of quite a lot of accretion (building up of sand dunes) so they had got to the point where they’re not actually on the toe of the sand dune any more. They’ve got another dune in front of them so they were home and hosed.

“I can’t understand why anyone would do this.”

Jo made the discovery on Sunday.

She says she haa badgered the council for many years to do more to protect the reserve as a home for many native bird species. She feels the sign they put up about five years ago forbidding vehicles, horses and dogs on the dunes is too small.

“People take their dogs and their vehicles down there and when you point it out they say, ‘what sign?’”

On Thursday, the Ōhope Beach Golf Links committee said as part of its twice-yearly renovations, the club had been removing the gums and banksia trees on the boundary of the course, on the ocean side.

“Inexplicably there has been a miscommunication and the cutting down of two pohutukawa and a number of self-seeded pittosporum has occurred. This is unacceptable on our behalf and we would like to apologise to both our members and the greater Ōhope community. We are working with the Whakatāne District Council on this issue and we are internally reviewing our procedures around this to ensure it never happens again.”

The committee said it had been entrusted with the care of the golf links land for more than 50 years, working alongside the Department of Conservation, Whakatāne District Council, Bay of Plenty Regional Council and, recently, HALO Whakatāne, planting native trees and helping control rabbits, rats and stoats, to enable the native bird life to survive and thrive.

“We are also part of The Green Room initiative set up by the regional council and Tourism Industry Aotearoa for sustainable tourism.”

In 1998 the Golf Club adopted a course development plan that included enhancement of the native vegetation.

“To that end, we have planted in excess of 100 pohutukawa, a large stand of manuka, not to mention a kauri and a couple of totara.”

The incident is just one of a cluster of willful damage incidents to trees growing on Whakatāne District Council reserve land in recent weeks.

Only a poisoned stump and some felled branches remain where there was once a thriving pohutukawa.

Last week, Local Democracy Reporting reported on the poisoning of two pohutukawa at Wairaka Centennial Park at The Heads, and today there is a story about an oak tree on Maraetotara Road being poisoned.

Council open spaces manager Ian Molony, said staff were advised the trees on Ōhope spit had been destroyed on Monday and they were still investigating.

“Mr Molony said council staff worked incredibly hard with tree management and preservation across the district.

“We need to educate people on the value of trees. They’re integral to our environment; they provide food for our native birds, they absorb carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen, they naturally stabilise the soil, they're good for our mental health and wellbeing, they create a landscape that enhances and beautifies our district, and provide natural shade and shelter.”

Damage to trees on reserve land could result in prosecution and a fine of up to $20,000.

“If you see people or vehicles acting suspiciously, please report them, their registration numbers and a photo if possible - preferably before any incident arises.

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