Woman charged over alleged torching of community Christmas tree

A 19-year-old woman has been charged over the destruction of a Christmas tree in Kempsey last December.

Police say there are other people they wish to speak to over the incident.

The woman will face Kempsey Local Court in November.

A woman has been charged 10 months after she allegedly burnt down a community Christmas tree in regional New South Wales.

The tree in the centre of Kempsey on the state's Mid North Coast went up in flames on December 3, 2025.

On Tuesday police charged a 19-year-old woman with "destroy property in company use fire".

She is due to appear before Kempsey Local Court on November 19.

Detective Inspector Mark Rogers said it had been a long and extensive investigation that included the examination of CCTV footage.

He said the tree meant "so much to the Kempsey community".

"We are looking to speak with some other people we believe may have been present," he said.

Kempsey Shire Mayor Kinne Ring said the council was looking at erecting a new tree in the CBD in "just a couple of weeks".

"There was so much devastation in the community when the Christmas tree was burned last year, and little heartbroken kids … so I am excited to put that chapter to rest now," she said.

After the tree burnt down residents decorated the remaining metal frame with tinsel and ornaments.

The council lost its spare decorations in the May 2025 floods.

Two days after the alleged arson, Cr Ring wrote said on social media "that while a tree can be burned, our joy can't be … our spirit as a community is far stronger than that".

She said the community would continue to help decorate the tree as "great new Christmas tradition".

"It was amazing to see the community rally around. People make up their own baubles and really feel connected to that tree," Cr Ring said.

"So while we won't do it on that frame, we will do it on a nice green tree."