A farm owner killed in a quad bike crash yesterday had been spraying weeds before the vehicle rolled, trapping him underneath, police say.
Workers on the Carterton farm, on Hodders Rd, went searching for the farm owner after he went missing earlier in the day.
Police said the workers found him trapped underneath his quad bike and alerted emergency services about 4.30pm.
"He had been riding his quad bike when he had lost control on the bank of an open drain," police said.
"The farm owner had been spraying weeds when it appears he has rolled the quad bike into the drain and was trapped underneath it."
Police said the man was revived but died at the scene.
They were working with the family and WorkSafe New Zealand to reconstruct the events leading up to the incident and establish the cause.