Wakefield hop grower Peter Lines was killed in June 2025 after he was struck by a tree being removed from a flooded river on the family's Wakefield farm. The tree suddenly came loose and swung towards the pair, hitting them both and fatally injuring Lines. Struck while standing on riverbankLines and his wife, Marlene Lines, were standing on a riverbank watching him work. As the tree was lifted, the rope anchoring the base of the tree caused it to whip around sharply, Coroner Steel said. Marlene Lines said she was "talking and laughing" with her husband on the riverbank when she suddenly saw the tree coming towards them.

Source: Otago Daily Times January 29, 2026 19:28 UTC