New regulation 2026 – trees and power lines

Stay well clear. Do not touch the tree, branch, power line, or anything that is in contact with them. Call 111 if there is immediate danger, then contact your local lines company. Always treat power lines as live.

If you, the tree, or any tools or equipment could come within 4 metres of a power line, do not attempt the work yourself. Contact your local lines company first. Cutting or removing trees near live power lines is dangerous and may require a qualified contractor or the line to be isolated.

In most cases, the tree owner is responsible for managing their trees so they do not breach the regulations. Your local lines company also has responsibilities, including monitoring vegetation risks, issuing notices, responding to electrical hazards and, in some circumstances, meeting the cost of work. The exact responsibility depends on the tree and the type of notice involved.

The regulated distances depend on the voltage and span of the line, so they are not always easy to judge. Do not try to measure around a live line. Contact your local lines company if you are concerned about a tree or are planning work near a line.

A hazard warning notice alerts a tree owner that vegetation has entered the hazard warning notice zone and may continue growing towards the growth limit zone. A cut or trim notice is issued when a tree has entered the growth limit zone and requires the tree owner to have it cut back. Each notice will explain what it relates to and what the tree owner needs to do.

Read the notice carefully and contact your local lines company promptly if anything is unclear. The notice will set out the work required, the deadline, and the options available to you. You must tell your local lines company the time and location of the work at least three working days before it takes place. Do not arrange work that cannot be carried out safely. If you need guidance on who can carry out the work, contact your local lines company for advice.

It depends on the circumstances. If a tree qualifies for its first cut or trim under the regulations, the lines company generally meets the reasonable cost. Ongoing maintenance is generally the tree owner’s responsibility. Different rules can apply where there is an agreement, a no-interest tree notice, refused access, a tree planted unlawfully in the low height planting zone, or a self-sown tree that establishes there and is not managed. Contact your local lines company about your situation.

The treefall hazard zone is an assessment area extending 24 metres from the edge of the growth limit zone. A tree within this area may be assessed if there is concern that it could fall onto a power line. Being inside the zone does not automatically mean a tree is hazardous or must be removed.

The lines company carries out the assessment using the factors set out in the regulations. It must take written advice from a suitably qualified and experienced arborist about the likelihood of the tree falling. Forestry advice may also be taken where it is relevant.

A treefall hazard notice is a formal notice requiring the removal of a tree that has been assessed as a moderate or high hazard to a power line. Formal treefall hazard notices cannot be issued before 23 July 2028. Before then, a lines company may ask a landowner to agree voluntarily to the removal of a hazardous tree, but that request is not a formal treefall hazard notice.

The notice will explain the assessment and the action required. A tree assessed as a high hazard must generally be removed within 25 working days. A tree assessed as a moderate hazard must generally be removed within 45 working days. The tree owner must also tell the lines company when and where the removal will take place, as required by the notice.

The lines company will generally meet the reasonable cost of removing the tree and associated debris. Exceptions apply. For example, the tree owner may be responsible if the tree was planted in breach of the low height planting rules. A lines company may also no longer be required to meet the cost if the tree owner refuses consent for the lines company to enter the property and remove the tree.

The low height planting zone is an area extending 24 metres horizontally from a power line on unforested land outside an urban area. From 23 July 2027, a person must not plant a tree in this zone if they have reasonable grounds to believe its mature height will be greater than its distance from the line. The rule does not apply to existing forest land, urban areas, shelterbelts, or land administered under the Conservation Act 1987.

The planting restriction does not apply retrospectively to trees that were already established before 23 July 2027, or to trees that grow naturally. However, these trees can still be covered by other rules about vegetation near power lines. Different rules about who pays for trimming or removal can also apply to self-sown trees within the low height planting zone.

The regulations use the zoning in the relevant district plan or proposed district plan. The definition may not match the way an area is described in everyday language.  If you’re unsure whether your property is in an urban area, check your district plan or contact your local council.

A shelterbelt is one or more rows of trees planted to protect farming or horticultural land — including animals or crops — from the weather. A row of trees along a boundary is not automatically a shelterbelt; its purpose is what matters.

For some power lines, the growth limit zone extends vertically above the line as well as around it. This prevents vegetation forming a tunnel over the line. Clear to the sky already applies to higher-voltage lines in both urban and non-urban areas. From 17 October 2026, it will also apply to lines at 11 kV or below outside urban areas.

The regulations allow a lines company to enter land in some circumstances to inspect trees or carry out work. The lines company must follow the relevant notice and access requirements. For removal under the treefall hazard framework, the lines company may ask for the tree owner’s consent to enter the property and carry out the work.

Contact your local lines company as soon as possible so they can try and resolve the matter. The options depend on the type of notice or dispute, and some time limits are short. Certain matters can be referred to the Tree Arbitrator. Other complaints may be considered by Utilities Disputes Limited.

In some circumstances, a tree owner can formally tell the lines company that they have no interest in a tree. This is called a no-interest tree notice. The lines company may then choose to manage the tree, subject to the rules about access and who pays. If you have already received a cut or trim notice or, from 23 July 2028, a treefall hazard notice, the no-interest notice generally needs to be given within 10 working days. This option is not available for trees planted in breach of the low height planting rules.

A dispensation may allow a tree to remain closer to a power line than the normal cut-back zone, subject to conditions. It does not allow the tree to grow into the growth limit zone beyond the distance specified in the dispensation. If you have received a cut or trim notice, an application needs to be made within five working days. Dispensations are not available in some low height planting zone situations.

Contact your local lines company and your local council before arranging work. Additional requirements or permissions may apply, but the tree must still be managed safely. Do not trim or remove a protected tree near a power line without first checking the correct process.

Failing to comply with certain requirements without reasonable excuse can be an offence. A tree owner may be fined up to $10,000. For a continuing offence involving a cut or trim notice, a further fine of up to $500 for each day or part of a day may apply. The treefall hazard notice offences apply from 23 July 2028 and carry a fine of up to $10,000.