Vandals damage pohutukawa bushes

Photo: KRISTINA RAPLEY

RESCUED POHUTUKAWA: Pakuranga resident Yulia McKenzie with some of the bushes saved from the water.

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An act of mindless vandalism on Monday night has Pakuranga residents stunned.

The Rotary walkway is missing more than 30 native pohutukawa bushes after they were ripped out of the ground, bashed on the
footpath leaving dirt everywhere, and thrown into the Tamaki River.

The bushes were bought and planted by Saint Kentigern College because that particular section of
the coastal walkway is on their land.

Pakuranga residents Kerry and Yulia McKenzie came across the mess on their morning walk.

"I use the walkway every day, and so do a lot of other people, and it’s totally distressing to see," says Mr McKenzie.

"Nobody likes to see that sort of vandalism."

He thinks it was most likely a group of people with something to prove, instead of somebody just doing it for kicks.

"They are definitely not teenagers, this was orchestrated and carefully thought out."

A group of walkers managed to salvage about 12 bushes from the water.

Saint Kentigern College general manager Eric Shiels says they planted 250 pohutukawa bushes in October last year as part of an overall improvement of the walkway.

When he went out on Tuesday morning he was shocked to see all the holes in the bank where the bushes were.

"We’ve never seen anybody do that sort of thing, so we have no idea who is responsible for this.

"It’s such a waste, a waste of resources. We will replant the dozen or so we were able to recover, and we will buy others to replant," he says.

"It’s really annoying and we hope it doesn’t happen again."

- © Fairfax NZ News