Please support our legal fight to save hundreds of trees at Otahuhu Mt Richmond.

$18,812 of $25,000 goal
Given by 83 generous donors in 11 weeks

We are a grassroots community group fighting to stop the felling of nearly 300 exotic trees at our local Maunga.

Otahuhu, Auckland

Our community group is fighting to stop ratepayer-funded Tupuna Maunga Authority from reinstating a resource consent to fell nearly 300 trees at our local Maunga (volcanic cone) just because they're non-native. In 2023, local woman Shirley Waru crowd-funded a judicial review that cancelled the Authority's resource-consent but they are playing hard-ball and are appealing the decision. The Authority wants to rid Auckland's Maunga of all exotic trees so winning the court battle will help set a precedent for other Maunga.

Otahuhu has Auckland's lowest level of tree cover so we need every tree! We are ordinary everyday people who don't have deep pockets, so need your help to fight the appeal, which is being heard in the Court of Appeal in Wellington on 15 April.

In all we are hoping to raise $45000.00 to cover the costs.

Every dollar counts so please donate to help Shirley save these beautiful trees.

Previous page https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/savethetreesatmtrichmondotahuhu

Use of funds

Legal fees to fund a Court of Appeal claim initiated by Tupuna Maunga Authority, to overturn the High Court's decision which quashed the resource consent to fell 278 trees.

Any surplus funds donated will be used for a similar environmental cause.

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Latest update

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Goal update   16 May 2026

Hi all, we are in a position to reduce our goal to $25,000 ! Please continue to share our givealittle link to help get us there.

A special thank you to the Honour the Maunga Owairaka/Mount Albert community and Anna Radford for your continued support and generosity you have given to our community of Otahuhu Respect Mount Richmond. You have supported through 2 litigation hearings in the High Court, and recently the Court of Appeal. Your friendship has been unwavering.

Ngaa mihi aroha ki a koutou, Naa Shirley Waru and the Respect Mount Richmond community.

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Latest donations

Ed
Ed on 25 May 2026
$50
Respect Mount Richmond Otahuhu

Thank you so much Ed for your support and generosity. We are so close to reaching our goal now thanks to people like you. Ngaa mihi aroha ki a koe.

Respect Mount Richmond Otahuhu
Guest Donor
Guest Donor on 25 May 2026
Private
Respect Mount Richmond Otahuhu

Thank you for your donation, we couldn’t have achieved this without people like you. We appreciate your support and generosity. Ngaa mihi aroha ki a koe.

Respect Mount Richmond Otahuhu
Harry Young
Harry Young on 23 May 2026
TMA tyrants, a disgrace.
$100
Respect Mount Richmond Otahuhu

Thank you Harry we appreciate your support and generosity! We stay positive and always treat TMA staff with respect and kindness, we hope that in the future they may treat us with the same respect and kindness in return. Ngaa mihinui ki a koe.

Respect Mount Richmond Otahuhu
Janie
Janie on 22 May 2026
I am appalled at the the thought of the beautiful big, old non-native trees being removed from the Auckland Maunga for no good reason. It is such a short sighted, illogical attitude. With the constant intensification of housing, and the wholesale removal of trees that seems to go with it, we need all the big trees that we can possibly keep. Our parks and maunga will become more and more precious as places of refuge and relaxation as the summer temperatures continue to rise. Who wants to picnic on bare open ground under a blazing summer sun? Or have their homes damaged or washed away by landslips? Plant more native trees by all means, but do not destroy the treasures that are already there
$500
Respect Mount Richmond Otahuhu

Good morning Janie, thank you for your very generous donation, the support and encouragement from people helping us to fund this litigation has been amazing! You touch on many of the points we have used ourselves since this all started, for us we have the lowest tree canopy in Auckland, we are a high density intensification area under the Unitary Plan, and have one of the highest mental health rates in Auckland. Our very learned young barrister used the word “wholesale” felling in our Court of Appeal submission recently heard. Thank goodness there are many of us trying to stop this from happening. Thank you for your tautoko to help us get there. Ngaa mihi aroha ki a koe, naa Shirley Waru and the Respect Mount Richmond Otahuhu community.

Respect Mount Richmond Otahuhu
Civic Trust Auckland
Civic Trust Auckland on 21 May 2026
Civic Trust Auckland strongly supports Respect Mount Richmond Otahuhu and all endeavours to protect trees on maunga in Tāmaki Makaurau. In our recent submission on Auckland Council's Annual Plan, we wrote, with regard to the Tūpuna Maunga Authority's Operational Plan "that mass felling of trees would cause an inappropriate level of damage and destruction to habitats within the natural features of the maunga and across those landscapes, and we contend it would be contrary to the purpose of the Resource Management Act 1991. We submit that the Maunga Authority should review and reverse its decision to remove what it refers to as inappropriate trees ..."
$2,000
Respect Mount Richmond Otahuhu

Good morning all, thank you for your very generous donation! The generosity and support from people who see the value and importance of public spaces to their respective communities is appreciated very much. Our community has the lowest tree canopy in Auckland and is also one of the lowest socioeconomic cohorts in South Auckland. We also appreciate you including the trees in your submission. Ngaa mihi aroha ki a koutou, naa Shirley Waru and the Respect Mount Richmond Otahuhu community.

Respect Mount Richmond Otahuhu

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This campaign started on 16 Mar 2026 and ends on 16 Mar 2027.