Garden Tidy-Up After a Storm: A Safe New Zealand Checklist

Make the site safe before making it neat

Keep away from fallen or low power lines, unstable trees, flooded electrical areas, damaged retaining walls and hanging branches. Do not assume a line is harmless because it is quiet. Contact the relevant emergency or network service and keep other people away.

Wear sturdy footwear and gloves, and wait for unsafe wind or flooding to pass. Photograph damage before moving items if an insurance claim may be involved.

Restore access and drainage first

Clear the route to doors, driveways and gates without standing beneath damaged trees. Remove loose leaves from surface grates where this is safe, but do not enter floodwater or open infrastructure.

Separate small hand-manageable branches from heavy, tensioned or elevated limbs. Chainsaw work and damaged trees require competent operators with appropriate equipment.

Sort material as you go

Create separate groups for clean green waste, reusable material, general rubbish, hazardous items and anything subject to biosecurity controls. Keep soil, stones, treated timber and plastic out of green-waste loads unless the receiving facility accepts them.

Check current council, transfer-station and biosecurity guidance before moving plant material between areas. Temporary pest controls can change what may be transported.

Allow saturated lawns to recover

Avoid repeated wheel and foot traffic over waterlogged turf. Once the surface firms, rake scattered debris, assess compaction and repair ruts. Do not rush to fertilise stressed plants before roots and drainage are checked.