Owner-operated · South Auckland
NZ TreeSMITHS is a professional, owner-operated arborist company built to meet the standards that councils, main contractors and large asset owners require — and to bring that same discipline to every residential job.
Our story
We are based in Paerata, Franklin, and we work across South Auckland, Franklin, North Waikato and the wider Auckland region. Our senior people have spent more than twenty years in this industry — and they still climb. That matters, because the person scoping your job is the person who understands exactly what it takes to get a difficult tree down safely.
We deliberately structured this business for commercial and local government work: Tōtika prequalification, $10 million public liability cover, NZQA qualified arborists, documented safety systems, and our own fleet so programme dates don't depend on hire availability. Residential clients benefit from exactly the same systems and the same crews.
We are 50% female owned and led, and Māori and Pasifika owned — registered with Amotai so our clients can record verified supplier diversity spend. Social outcomes are not an add-on for us: local employment and training pathways are how this business grows.
Our values
These are not wall decorations. They decide how we quote, how we run a site, and how we handle it when something goes wrong.
Guardianship of Trees and Land
We work with living assets. Every recommendation weighs the long-term health of the tree and the land against the outcome the client needs — retaining what should be retained, and removing what genuinely needs to go. Green waste is chipped and reused wherever possible, and protected trees are treated with the care the law and the landscape demand.
Care for People
Care for people is the reason our safety system exists. It applies to our crews, to the residents and staff around our worksites, and to the public walking past. It also shapes how we communicate — clear timeframes, honest advice, and no pressure to buy work you don't need.
Doing Things the Right Way
Correct method, correct paperwork, correct finish. We prune to arboricultural standards rather than the fastest cut, we complete the documentation properly rather than after the fact, and we don't cut corners when nobody is watching. Doing it right is cheaper than doing it twice.
Relationships
Most of our commercial work comes from asset managers, main contractors and other arborist companies who have used us before. We invest in those relationships — being reachable, turning up when we said we would, and being straight about what we can and can't deliver.
Ownership and Accountability
We are owner-operated. The people who own this business are the people who quote the work, run the crews and answer the phone. When something needs to be put right, you deal with an owner, not a chain of escalation.
Ownership & credentials
Ownership structure, prequalification, insurance and experience — all verifiable, all supplied on request.
Prequalified against the national health and safety standard used by councils, main contractors and large asset owners.
Full public liability cover, with certificates of currency supplied with every commercial submission.
Registered Māori and Pasifika owned supplier, supporting verified supplier diversity spend.
Half owned and actively led by women — leadership on the tools, on site and in the office.
Qualified crews working to recognised arboricultural standards and safe work methods.
Multiple arborists with 20+ years in the industry, including senior climbers who still climb every week.
Trucks, chippers, excavators and stump grinders owned outright — no hire delays, no subcontract gaps.
Local employment, training pathways and measurable social outcomes reported back to your team.
Our commitment
One standard of work, whether it's a council reserve programme, a development site or a single tree in a suburban backyard.
Send us your scope or book a site assessment. Commercial, council and residential enquiries are handled by an experienced arborist — not a call centre.
Tōtika Qualified · $10M Public Liability · NZQA Qualified Arborists · Amotai Registered
