Auckland Council says the jailing of a man who purposely damaged seven protected trees sends a strong message.

Property developer Augustine Lau has been sentenced to two-and-a-half months in prison for instructing a digger operator to damage mature native trees at a property in Waiwera to improve views - in spite of being warned not to.

Lau instructed a digger operator to damage a totara and six pohutukawa trees at a property in Waiwera to improve views, and free up more land for development.

Mayor Phil Goff said Lau knew the trees were protected and got everything he deserved.

"This is not just a wet bus ticket across the hand, if you knowingly damage our environment and deprive future generations of the heritage that we've inherited there will be a price to pay."

Lau has a history of flouting regulations, including dumping waste near a stream, building homes without consent, and building temporary houses which flushed sewage into a stream.

Auckland Council regulatory compliance manager Steve Pearce said Lau's sentence is much deserved.

"These trees were part of a significant natural and ecological area..it's pretty special, real high in amenity and real high in ecological value and one of those special places that we have in Auckland."

He said the council has had a number of prior dealings with him.

"Mr Lau is certainly known to us, we have issued a bunch of abatement notices on a number of sites and we've also been through the environment court and sought and obtained a bunch of interim enforcement orders and enforcement orders on probably in the region 8 or 9 properties that Mr Lau is associated with."