Paul Houkamau's family are looking for answers following his death from injuries suffered in a forestry accident near Rotorua.
They want to know exactly how the accident happened and are concerned about how long it took for him to be taken to hospital - they say they were told it was four hours before he was able to get hospital treatment.
Mr Houkamau died four days later. He was 54 and his wife, Polly Houkamau, and her six children say they have lost the rock in their life.
On February 3, Mrs Houkamau received a call she says everybody dreads when they have loved ones working in the forestry industry. Her husband's work called to say Mr Houkamau was being rushed to hospital after an accident near Rerewhakaaitu.
"They said he had been in an accident and they were bringing him in in the ambulance. Then my emotions started rushing, I didn't know what to expect."
His daughter Bernadine Houkamau said the family now wanted answers as to how her father was injured in the first place and why it took so long for him to be brought to hospital.
"My mum is a humble woman and doesn't blame anybody but I want some answers," she said. "Even if they just come to us and say this is what happened - just to give us closure."
The family were told by Mr Houkamau's workmates that he was working on the side of a hill when a log which had been cleared to make a track rolled down and struck him. He suffered several broken ribs, a punctured lung and other internal injuries.
Mrs Houkamau said she was told that it took about four hours for her husband to be taken to hospital.
St John Lakes district operations manager Norm Riedinger said because the incident was being investigated by the Department of Labour, it was not appropriate for him to make a comment at this time. The Department of Labour has also made no comment about the case, other than to confirm it is investigating the incident.
Ms Houkamau was at her father's side when he died at Rotorua Hospital. "My dad's heart had stopped and all these doctors come rushing in," she said.
"I was panicking - shocked. I felt helpless. I couldn't do anything except say 'fight dad'. The doctors and nurses were doing everything they could, but underneath it all I knew he was going."
Mrs Houkamau described her husband as a quiet and very caring man who loved nature. "Anything to do with the bush he was there, that was his life," she said. "He would eat and drink the bush. Sometimes I would shut him up because I would get sick of it." Mrs Houkamau said she was always worried about something happening to her husband given his job. "We always talked about it. But there was no way he was going to give it up and I would never ask that of him.
Family seek answers in accident tragedy
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