Best Tree Services in Dunedin
We assessed 15 tree services in Dunedin and ranked the top 5 on public rating quality, review volume and how recent the reviews are. The businesses listed below hold 225 Google reviews between them. No business can pay for a place in these rankings. Last updated 4 October 2026. How we rank →
Before you hire
Tree removal, felling, trimming and stump grinding are hazardous work, so use a qualified arborist. Always confirm the operator carries public liability insurance and, if the tree is near a boundary or structure, ask whether a council resource consent is needed before any work begins.
Top 5 Tree Services in Dunedin
The top 5 tree services in Dunedin are #1 Crown Arborist, #2 Pattison Property Solutions, #3 Tree Craft NZ, #4 Valley Arborists, and #5 Treeman, ranked by Top5 score. Scroll for our take on each, plus what to ask before you hire.
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1
Crown Arborist Dunedin
★ 5.0 37 reviews Top5 Score 1475★ 37Crown Arborist prunes overgrown trees, shapes hedges, and takes down trees that have outgrown their space, including large or awkwardly positioned ones close to buildings and neighbouring properties. Reviewers point to crew who check in mid-job to confirm the result matches what was asked for, and leave sites clean with mulch available for the garden if wanted.
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2
Pattison Property Solutions
↑ 7★ 5.0 21 reviews +9 Top5 Score 147 +145★ 21Pattison Property Solutions combines tree pruning, fallen tree clearance, hedge removal, and fencing into single visits, which suits properties needing several jobs done at once rather than separate tradespeople. Dylan turns quotes around fast, often completing work the following day, and reviewers note jobs come in at or under the quoted price with sites left clean.
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3
Tree Craft NZ
↓ 1★ 5.0 28 reviews Top5 Score 1445★ 28Tree Craft NZ takes on tree removal, pruning, hedge clearance, and ivy stripping across steep, overgrown, and technically demanding properties where others may not commit. Matt coordinates the full job, including arranging stump grinding contractors when needed, and leaves sites cleared of all material with mulch returned to the property where wanted.
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4
Valley Arborists
↑ 2★ 5.0 21 reviews +4 Top5 Score 143 +65★ 21Valley Arborists fells large and dangerous trees, prunes and manages natives and ornamentals, grinds stumps, and produces formal arborist reports including monitoring schedules for protected trees. Sam regularly proposes approaches clients had not considered, such as using retained sycamores as nursery trees for new native plantings, and the crew finishes jobs by chopping firewood, gathering pine cones, and mulching all remaining material on site.
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5
Treeman
↓ 1★ 5.0 24 reviews Top5 Score 1425★ 23 4★ 1Treeman gets through tree removal, stump grinding, remedial pruning, and full section clearances quickly, often completing large jobs within a single day of booking. Specific care on tricky work stands out, including strategic cuts around power lines, preserving garden beds during removals, and chipping all waste on site so nothing is left for the client to deal with.
location_on 7 McLeod Road, Burnside, Dunedin
Before you hire a tree service in Dunedin
Drawn from 161 customer reviews collected for this page. The first answer is what it costs.
What does tree removal or pruning typically cost in New Zealand? expand_more
Small tree removal in New Zealand runs from around $500, while large or complex trees can exceed $5,000. Stump grinding is almost always quoted separately, with most jobs falling between $150 and $500 per stump.
Pruning a single residential tree often costs between $200 and $800, rising to $1,500 or more for multiple large specimens. Access difficulty, proximity to structures, and whether debris disposal is included all push the price up significantly.
What qualifications and insurance should a tree service have? expand_more
There is no mandatory government licence required to call yourself an arborist in New Zealand, so you need to check credentials yourself before hiring anyone. The main professional body is the New Zealand Arboricultural Association (NZAA), which maintains a public register of members with demonstrated competency through qualifications such as the NZ Certificate in Arboriculture at Level 3 or Level 4.
Ask for proof of public liability insurance, ideally a minimum of $1 million cover, before any work starts on your property. For work near powerlines, the Electricity (Hazards from Trees) Regulations 2003 restrict who can legally carry out or supervise that work, so confirm the operator meets those requirements if powerlines are involved.
Do I need council consent to remove a tree on my property? expand_more
Many trees in New Zealand are protected under local District Plan rules or notable tree schedules, and removing them without resource consent can result in enforcement action and fines under the Resource Management Act 1991. Check your council's GIS maps or District Plan schedules before touching any large tree, as rules differ between councils and some apply blanket protections based on species or trunk diameter. Resource consent applications for protected trees can cost between $500 and $3,000 in processing fees alone, and councils can decline the application or require replanting as a condition of approval.
What are the warning signs of a tree service you shouldn't hire? expand_more
- –No written quote provided before work begins, leaving cost and scope open to dispute later.
- –Poor or absent communication after the initial contact, including failing to confirm scheduled visit times or update clients on delays.
- –Work carried out beyond the agreed scope without prior discussion or approval from the homeowner.
- –Significant debris, logs, or green waste left on site without this being explicitly agreed in the quote.
- –No clear answer when asked about public liability insurance or worker cover.
- –Unresolved damage to neighbouring or customer property with no offer to remedy it.
What should you ask before hiring a tree service? expand_more
- –Do you carry public liability insurance, and are your workers covered while on site? Ask to see documentation.
- –Is cleanup and disposal of all green waste, wood chips, and logs included in the quote, or charged separately?
- –Before stump grinding, will you check for underground services such as power, gas, water, and fibre cables?
- –Does this job require council resource consent, and can you advise on that before work starts?
- –Is the quote fixed, and what is your process if the job turns out to be more complex or hazardous than initially assessed?
- –Will the work be carried out by qualified staff, and do any of your team hold the NZ Certificate in Arboriculture or membership with the New Zealand Arboricultural Association (NZAA)?
Also recommended tree services in Dunedin
Ranked 6 to 10 on the same public review record.
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6
D M HOLDINGS
↓ 1★ 4.6 26 reviews +2 Top5 Score 140 +15★ 23 2★ 2 1★ 1DM Holdings fells trees, clears sections of gorse and scrub, and handles emergency storm work including unstable trunks left after trees come down on houses. When a fallen tree left a dangerous trunk behind, they rescheduled around worsening weather to prioritise the felling before further damage occurred, then chipped and removed all material on site.
location_on 5 Buller Street, Central, Dunedin
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7
Elmwood Tree Services - Dunedin Arborist
↓ 4★ 5.0 16 reviews Top5 Score 138 -55★ 16Elmwood Tree Services covers tree removal, stump grinding, pruning, and hedge shaping, with Joe leading jobs that reviewers describe as arriving on time, sticking to the quoted price, and leaving properties clean down to the last chip. Their approach to careful, considered cuts comes through clearly on jobs where tree structure or habitat needed to be preserved alongside the removal work.
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8
Tui Tree to Timber Limited
↓ 1★ 5.0 16 reviews Top5 Score 1365★ 16Tui Tree to Timber fells large trees including macrocarpas and eucalyptus, handles branch removal over structures, and mills logs on site where timber is worth keeping. Nick details the hours worked in itemised invoices and talks through storage and timber advice on the day, so clients leave with more than just a cleared section.
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9
Super Lawn Mowing and Gardening Dunedin
↓ 1★ 4.5 24 reviews Top5 Score 1355★ 17 4★ 5 1★ 2Super Lawn Mowing suits landlords and out-of-town owners who need lawn mowing, weeding, and full garden tidy-ups managed remotely with minimal fuss. Scott responds to quotes within the hour, confirms appointments by text or email, and regularly spots additional small jobs on site and completes them without needing to be asked.
location_on 8 The Octagon, Dunedin
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10
Kea Treeworks
★ 5.0 12 reviews +2 Top5 Score 134 +45★ 12Kea Treeworks builds repeat business through tree topping, limb removal over structures, pruning, and full tree removal, with Jack and Chris named across multiple return visits as the reason clients come back. They leave mulch piles on request, work to exactly what was asked, and follow up after the job is done.
location_on 86 Manse Road, Waitati
About this ranking
What the 10 tree services listed above hold, at the 4 October 2026 check.
We first assessed tree services in Dunedin in March 2026 and have rechecked the ranking four times since. Two different businesses have held first place; Crown Arborist has held it since March 2026. Crown Arborist, Tree Craft NZ and Treeman have been in the top 5 at every check. Across the 14 locations we assess tree services in, the 138 businesses listed have a median rating of 5.0, and one-star reviews are 0.9% of their total.
What has changed since March 2026? expand_more
- Oct 2026
Scoring method updated. Pattison Property Solutions entered the top 5, up from #9. Valley Arborists returned to the top 5, up from #6. Elmwood Tree Services left the top 5, down to #7. DM Holdings left the top 5, down to #6.
- Jul 2026
Scoring method updated. DM Holdings entered the top 5, up from #7. Tui Tree to Timber left the top 5, down to #6. Pattison Property Solutions entered the list at #10.
- May 2026
Scoring method updated. Elmwood Tree Services entered the top 5 at #3. Valley Arborists left the top 5, down to #6.
- Mar 2026
First check.
Months where nothing changed at the top are not listed.
How are the top tree services in Dunedin chosen? expand_more
We build this page from Google Maps results for tree services in Dunedin. Each one is scored on its public rating and review record. Businesses outside the area, or whose reviews describe a different line of work, are left out, and a business whose main Google category is a different trade is held back until a person has checked what it does. A business whose website no longer resolves and that has had no Google review for six months is treated as dormant and left off the page until either changes. Every category and city is rechecked on a rolling cycle, about every two to three months. A location with a subscribing business is rechecked every month, and the whole page updates with it. See how we rank for the full method.
What does a business subscription offer? expand_more
No business can pay for a place in these rankings. Claiming and verifying a listing is free. It adds a phone number to the card and a small trust bonus (+3 points) to its score, for confirming a real operator stands behind the listing. The owner also gets a dashboard showing how their score is made up. A paid subscription provides an enhanced card with more ways to reach the business, including a website link and a detailed profile page. It also refreshes this page monthly and adds ranking history and competitor analysis to the owner's dashboard. The subscription adds nothing to the score. Claim your listing or see what a subscription includes.
Why isn't my business listed? expand_more
We build this page from Google Maps results for tree services in Dunedin. The usual reasons for missing out are a Google Business category that does not match, too few reviews to score near the top, or an address outside the area we cover. Sometimes we miss a business that should be here. Check where you rank first. If you are not there and think you should be, get in touch.