'Upset and disappointed': Tree vandals strike again at Christchurch reserve

Redcliffs Residents' Association chair Christine Toner and vice-chair Chris Doudney inspect the cut tree at Beachville Reserve. Photo: Supplied

A tree in a Christchurch reserve has been cut for the third time since 2020, frustrating efforts to shade park benches.

The tree was cut down in 2020. Photo: Supplied

The Redcliffs Residents’ Association is "upset and disappointed" after the top half of the ngaio tree in the Christchurch City Council-owned Beachville Reserve has been cut off.

The ngaio was planted by the city council in January 2023 as a replacement for the second tree cut in the small reserve in December 2022.

The first tree was cut down to the stump in 2020.

“People are going around, taking the law into their own hands, thinking that they’re entitled to cut down and damage trees in a public reserve,” said residents’ association secretary Dr Pat McIntosh.

The residents’ association believes the vandalism is likely a targeted act.

The city council’s community parks manager Al Hardy said this vandalism could “reduce the overall benefits the tree provides for current and future generations.”

The health of the tree is being monitored by the city council before a replacement is determined to be necessary.