Lines companies to get more power to remove trees

Trees in the wrong place can bring havoc, as they did during Cyclone Gabrielle. (Image: NZME)

Tue, 29 Apr 2025

The Government has agreed to give line companies more powers to remove trees that threaten electricity lines.This follows the latest round of storms, with many electricity outages blamed on trees bringing down power lines.Lines companies have spent years lobbying for changes to rules about what they can do with trees they believe pose a danger.However, these efforts reached a new level after Cyclone Gabrielle devastated large parts of the upper North Island, leaving power out entirely for numerous communities.Shortly after Gabrielle, the Electr...

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