The council’s liveable spaces manager, De-Arne Sutherland, said 20 millimetre holes had been bored into the trees to poison them. “The trees were planted for whānau grieving the loss of loved ones after the war, and both council and the YMCA, which own the parkland, are distressed that someone poisoned the trees," Sutherland said. “The council spent significant funds trying to save the trees because of their cultural and environmental value, but a recent arborist’s report indicated they had shown few signs of recovery and were now a safety risk to passersby,” she said. “We will be seeking to prosecute the people who poisoned these trees, and it is now a police matter.”