Anti-cat campaigner and investment advisor Gareth Morgan is seeking council approval to knock down two trees outside his Marine Parade property and replace them with a ‘tree' sculpture.

Gareth, who is known for his Cats To Go website and a public campaign to eradicate cats, has commissioned a kinetic sculpture by Wellington artist Phil Price, which will be situated on the road berm outside his house on the corner of Marine Parade and Pacific Avenue.

A picture of the proposed sculpture. Photos: Supplied.

Two pohutukawa trees outside his house will need to be felled to make way for the sculpture, which is titled Rimurimu and will stand at 8.3 metres tall, with a ‘canopy' width of 9m.

Gareth is offering to pay for replacement trees in a suitable location in the surrounding area.

Elements of the wind sculpture will rotate on multiple planes, reaching a height 10m above ground level and extending over a horizontal plane of 9m in diameter.

It consists of 21 moving parts, divided into three main arms, along with a main vertical junction atop the ‘trunk' allowing the whole top knot to rotate, making 22 live axes.

At rest, in a no wind climate, all the parts sit flat forming a symmetrical pattern and canopy.

The fixed support shaft will be a series of reducing heavy wall seamless pipes, stepping from a 250 -300 mm diameter base pipe, to 200 mm then 150 mm towards the top.

The baseplate will be around 40mm thick and 800-900mm in diameter. Bearings will be fabricated into precision housings and fully welded into the top of the support shaft, where the upper arms are supported.

The shafts will have an outer epoxy and glass fibre skin with rigid polyurethane foam filling to form a smooth tapered finish.

The branches of the sculpture are three sets of interconnected shafts with pivoted teardrop shaped pods. As the wind blows the branches pivot over, then stand up again when the wind eases.

The staff recommendations are for council to approve it. The Public Art Advisory Group says Rimurimu is likely to capture the public's imagination and help create a sense of place and identity for Tauranga.

It is suggested the work will enhance the experience of living and working in Tauranga. It is also likely that the work will be a showcase to attract visitors and travellers to stay longer, with the potential to draw international recognition, says the group.