Mother: Why is a tree worth more than my daughter's life?

Pauline White's daughter was killed in Rotorua when a tree fell on her car during a storm. Photo / Andrew Warner

When Pauline White drives down the streets of Te Puke and sees the branches of old trees hanging over the road she shivers - and memories of her late daughter come rushing back.

White's daughter Trish Butterworth, 56, who lived in Rotorua, was killed when an old oak tree split in two, fell across the road and crushed the car she was driving during a storm on January 5.

This week when White read about four men who narrowly escaped serious injury on Wednesday when a falling tree hit their van at Te Puna, she couldn't help but think of what happened to her daughter.

"I just don't want to see it happen again," White said.

"When I drive down the Te Puke streets and see old trees hanging over the road I just shiver."

White said she enjoyed nature and the city's trees, but when it came to a risk, "people were more important".

"It was a tragic incident, but it is the way that the priority has been given to the tree that was past its use by date," she said.

"That is twice it has happened and I don't want it to happen a third."

Trish Butterworth, 56.

Documents released by the Rotorua Lakes Council under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act have detailed the condition of the tree that crushed Butterworth.

A "tolerable" level of risk was identified in an arborist's report in February 2017 related to the risk of a tree limb, or branch, failure.

No structural risk was identified.

Concerns raised with the council in August led to braces being replaced and weight-reduction work taking place. The documents also showed concrete had been poured into the tree.

The council has handed over its files to police, whose investigation on behalf of the Coroner is ongoing.

Rotorua Lakes Council acting operations group manager Henry Weston previously told the Rotorua Daily Post the council would never have put the tree before public safety.

White hoped somebody was responsible for assessing the potential danger of historical trees.

"I think the [Rotorua District] council has done a very good job, they were co-operative and sympathetic, but I think the system needs to be a bit more ruthless when it comes to trees," she said.

Contractors clean up the oak that caused the tragedy. Photo / NZME

"The Rotorua tree was 150 years old, it had been braced and it was saved. Why save a tree like that?

"Why not save the person?"

White's daughter grew up in Te Puke before moving to Rotorua and becoming a preschool teacher.

"She really put her heart and soul into her job," White said. "She was really happy. She was my rock."

A Western Bay of Plenty District Council spokesman said staff regularly undertook site visits of Western Bay's parks and reserves.

"If there are concerns for the wellbeing of a tree, or if there are safety concerns, these are monitored and/or looked after by an arborist accordingly," the spokesman said.