My mate rang me the morning after Cyclone Gabrielle came through, before I’d even got the jug on. Half a mature liquidambar had come down across his back fence in Mount Maunganui, one big limb was hung up in the power line, and he wanted to know if he could just grab the chainsaw and sort it himself there and then. I gave him the same answer I give every autumn once the north-easterlies start rolling into the Bay: stop, walk the section, and make a list before you touch anything.
Name’s Dave — I’ve spent going on eighteen years climbing and cutting trees around Tauranga, Papamoa and the Mount, most of it storm clean-up and hazardous tree removal after exactly the kind of blow the Bay gets a few times a year. Storm-damaged trees kill people in this country most years, and it’s almost never the storm itself that does it. It’s the clean-up afterwards, done in a hurry by someone who hasn’t stopped to look at what the tree is actually doing.
The checklist I run before the saw comes out of the ute
After enough call-outs around Papamoa and the Mount, this is the order I go through, and the first one isn’t negotiable:
- Look up before you look down. Any limb touching or sitting near a power line is Powerco’s job, not yours. Keep everyone back at least the length of the tree while you wait for them.
- Check for hung-up limbs. A branch that’s snapped but caught in the canopy above can let go with no warning at all. These catch out more people than falling trunks do.
- Test the trunk lean. Fresh soil heaving at the base, or roots lifting on one side, tells you the whole tree might still go over. Rope the area off and leave it.
- Photograph everything before you drag a single branch off the lawn — your insurer will ask for it.
- Work out what’s under tension. A bent trunk, or a limb pinning down a fence, is loaded like a spring. Cut it in the wrong spot and it whips back at you.
If two or more of those apply to your tree, you’re past the DIY stage and into proper hazardous-tree assessment territory. WorkSafe’s guidance on tree work and chainsaw safety is worth reading before the saw even comes out of the shed — it’s on the WorkSafe New Zealand site.
Jobs I’d happily hand a homeowner the saw for
A good chunk of storm tidy-up is genuinely fine for a fit homeowner with a decent saw and some sense — small branches off the lawn, general debris, a pittosporum that’s split low down where you can work standing flat-footed. My rules for that pile:
- Both feet on the ground, never up a ladder with a running chainsaw.
- Nothing above shoulder height.
- Nothing that’s under obvious tension.
- Chaps, glasses, ear muffs, steel caps, and a second person standing there watching you.
Green storm wood is a lot heavier and far less predictable than the seasoned stuff you’d split for the fire, so don’t rush it.
Jobs that need a rigger, not a ute and a chainsaw
Anything at height, anything near the lines, anything hung up, or a full tree that has to come down — that’s when I hand it to a climber. A qualified arborist carries the climbing gear, the rigging, and the insurance to drop a limb onto a tight Papamoa section without putting it through next door’s conservatory. After a big cyclone the decent operators book out within a day or two, so get on the list early even if it’s only for a safety assessment. When a job is bigger than my own gear can handle safely, I bring in a Bay of Plenty tree service that actually knows the coastal species and the council rules, rather than whoever’s cheapest on the community Facebook page. Storm chasers turn up with a ute and no ticket after every event, and they leave the section worse than the storm did.
Photos first, chainsaw second — insurance and the council’s protected trees
Two things people forget in the rush to tidy up. Most house policies do cover storm damage a tree causes to structures, but insurers usually want photos, and sometimes an arborist’s report, so don’t clear the mess before you’ve documented it. Second, plenty of trees around the Bay are protected under the district plan even after storm damage, and pruning or removing one without checking first can land you a fine. Tauranga City Council keeps the protected-tree register and storm-response advice on its site — a five-minute check before the chainsaw starts is cheaper than the alternative.
What storm tree work actually costs in the Bay right now
Prices jump straight after a big event because everyone wants the same crews at once. As a 2026 guide for jobs around the Mount and Papamoa:
| Job | Typical cost (incl. GST) |
|---|---|
| Small hung-up limb removal | $350–$650 |
| Decent-sized damaged tree, felled and chipped | $1,200–$3,500 |
| Large coastal gum or macrocarpa near a house (crane/traffic management) | $4,000–$8,000 |
If you’re weighing up full removal against keeping a big tree healthy with some crown reduction instead, I’ve gone into that trade-off in more depth in managing large gums on small Bay of Plenty sections.
Questions I get asked after every big blow
Can I remove a storm-damaged tree without council consent in Tauranga? Not always. Some trees stay protected under the district plan even when they’re damaged, so check with Tauranga City Council before you remove anything. Emergency work to make a tree safe is usually fine; full removal often isn’t.
Does house insurance cover storm-damaged trees? Most policies cover damage the tree causes to your house, fences or driveway, but not always the cost of removing the tree itself. Photograph everything before you clean up, and ring your insurer before the debris is gone.
How soon after a cyclone should I book an arborist? Straight away. Good Bay of Plenty arborists book out within a day or two of a big blow, so get on the list early even if it’s only for a safety assessment while you wait your turn.
Is it better to remove a storm-damaged tree or try to save it? Depends what’s actually damaged. A split low trunk or heaved roots usually means removal is the safer call. A tree that’s just lost a limb, with a sound trunk and no lean, can often be saved with a proper prune and a follow-up check the next season — that’s a judgement call I make on site, not over the phone.