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An Ōrewa resident is worried a child could be seriously injured playing with fallen Phoenix palm tree fronds at the southern end of Ōrewa Reserve.
Kerry Harvey lives opposite the grassed area and says children as young as three can be seen regularly picking up and playing with the 1.5 metre fronds from three palms that are believed to have been poisoned some time ago.
His concern is that Phoenix palm fronds have sharp, toxic thorns on them, which can cause painful, long-term injuries if they puncture the skin.
“We get heaps of people picnicking here and kids playing, which is lovely, but I see kids playing with these palms and chasing each other and throwing them like spears, or sword fighting with them,” he says. “Most people have no idea how dangerous Phoenix palm fronds are, but between 2015 and 2019, ACC spent $1.39 million on 2741 claims.”
Harvey contacted Auckland Council with his concerns and he says they couldn’t have been nicer, but when a contractor visited and spoke to him, he was told that the trees would not be removed until the end of summer.
However, Council’s regional arborist and ecological manager, David Stejskal, said last week that their removal was being brought forward.
“We are aware of the dead Phoenix palms at the Ōrewa Reserve and have plans in place to remove them on December 9,” he said.
“The removal of the palm trees was delayed primarily to enable an investigation by our compliance team, but also due to the ground conditions in the reserve, which were not favourable for access with machinery.
“We are aware of the risk associated with the fallen palm fronds and have implemented a regular inspection regime, which includes the collection of any fallen palm fronds to minimise the risk of injury.”
