Nineteen phoenix palms to be cut down in Matamata after residents complain

A residential street in Matamata will no longer be framed by pretty, but poisonous palm trees.

The 19 phoenix palms measuring over 18 meters in height and over 1 meter in diameter along Tamihana Street have caused a world of pain for some surrounding residents.

The trees sparked a petition earlier this year asking the Matamata-Piako District Council to cut them down.

According to the petition submitted to the council, all but one of the residents signed the petition that circulated on Tamihana St.

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But when Stuff visited residents on the street, some say they did not sign the petition or support the removal of the Phoenix palms.

The 28 firms gathered, however, were enough to get over the line.

From October 20-23, Tamihana St will be cordoned off with summoned arborists, putting an end to nesting pigeons, unwanted rodents, and excrement-covered concrete.

The removal will cost the council $ 60,000 but ends $ 12,000 in annual maintenance costs.

While phoenix palms were considered fashionable in their day, originating in the Canary Islands, the now classified poisonous trees are prohibited from planting in some parts of the country.

The spikes are the problem. They are sharp, toxic, and often flake off after penetrating a person’s skin.

Graeme Waterson, who grew up on Tamihana St and returned to his wife 20 years ago, said Stuff the trees were planted in the early 1930s.

“We have been in them [council] for years to get rid of them. It is not so much the appearance, it is the fact that they are dangerous and are full of filthy birds and those branches that fall are poisonous, “he said.

His wife, Fay, circulated a similar petition five or six years ago.

“I presented it to the council, but nothing was done,” Fay said.

She and her husband are “delighted that it has come true.

“They are a bit of a milestone, but it has reached a point where we are happy to see them eliminated.”

Further up Tamihana St, Ken White wanted them to stay.

“It bothered me quite a bit when I heard the trees were going to be removed, but the lack of consultation bothered me more,” White said.

“What about the rest of Matamata … just because we live on the street doesn’t mean that the rest of Matamata shouldn’t have an opinion on this beautiful tree-lined street?

“Was there an alternative option, is this a cost saving exercise only, what will go in its place and what will happen to the pigeons?” he questioned.

Vanessa Chase, who is a full-time landscaper, agreed.

“Residents are involved in making this city beautiful … when you choose to live here and pay fees, you want to be part of a comprehensive consultation,” said Chase.

Last year, 741 claims were filed nationwide with ACC for phooenix palm tip injuries. Of these, 70 were in Waikato.

Several phoenix palms also line Lake Hamilton City, but the city council said there are no plans to remove them.

While some regard palms as a pest, some are protected.

Eight protected phoenix palms on Auckland’s Kawau Island were removed after the now-dead or dying palms were drilled at the base and filled with herbicide.

The trees in Matamata will be removed by Arbor Care, which has been working with phoenix palms for 30 years. They will drive through the base of the tree with a chainsaw and knock it down onto the grass or road. The base will be crushed to the level of the grass and the grass seeds will be spread.

The trees will be removed at Wilson Resources.

Which trees will replace the palms has yet to be decided, but replanting will occur in fall 2021.

Arbor Care General Manager Grant Schuler said the phoenix palm injury is one of his most common injuries.

Staff can be absent from work for four days or more, he said.

“They puncture your body and when you take it out, the toxins leak out.

Schuler received a puncture in the calf 15 years ago and required local surgery. He was unable to walk for three days.

There are many reasons we removed phoenix palms, he said, but “we didn’t remove them simply because people don’t like them or because of the life of the birds.”

During the three days, a section of Tamihana St from the entrance of Tainui St to Hohaia St will be closed from 7.30 am to 5 pm

Only residents, contractors, and emergency vehicles will have access to the site.

The council anticipates that the birds will flee when they use a digging bucket to hit the trees multiple times to scare off the perching pigeons.

The council’s park and reserve operations manager Todd Makeham said that since pigeons breed year-round, there is never a good time to remove trees without affecting the chicks, eggs or nesting mothers.

“The work will involve felling trees directly to the ground rather than stretching them into sections, which substantially reduced cost and time,” he said.