Quad bike victim was experienced rider - police

File photo / Wairarapa Times Age

A woman who died after rolling her quad-bike in wet conditions was an experienced rider who appeared to have been doing everything right, police say.

Police spokeswoman Sarah Kennett said the 65 year-old was towing hay on her farm near Kaikohe when her bike rolled, yesterday.

"It is believed that the woman has attempted to negotiate a steep part of a hill resulting in the bike overturning and landing on her," Ms Kennett said.

Sergeant Mike Plant from Kaikohe police said the woman was an experienced rider.

It was a tragic accident and showed how even experienced people could come to grief, he said.

"The conditions were very, very greasy and wet. We have had a lot of rain up here and I would be quite confident in saying it probably contributed to the accident.

"All the indications at this stage are that she was probably doing everything right and...a series of circumstances have led up to the thing rolling."

Police and the Labour Department are investigating the death.

More than 100 people have died on quad bikes over the past decade.

Last month a Wellington coroner criticised Parliament for failing to make law changes around quad bike rules to make them safer.

At an inquest into the 2008 death of Jody Santos, 21, who died after crashing his quad bike near Masterton, Coroner Ian Smith said his colleagues had repeatedly asked for law changes to make it mandatory for quad bikes to be fitted with roll bars and seat belts and to force riders to wear helmets and it was time Parliament put these recommendations in place.

- NZHERALD STAFF