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A prominent farmer who championed New Zealand hops and the brewing industry has been killed by a tree following the floods across the top of the South Island.
Peter Lines was clearing flood damage from his property in Wai-iti, south-east of Nelson, on Saturday morning when he was hit by the tree.
Emergency services were called just after 9.30am but Lines, who was in his late 60s, died at the scene, according to Acting Nelson Bays area commander Martin Tunley.
Tasman mayor Tim King says Lines was a “big character” in both the hop industry and the local Wakefield community. [...]
Lines became a hop grower and brewer in 2009 “as a bit of fun” according to the NZ Hops website.
“We were buying in kegs of beer for the workers, but because I had the necessary health licence for the grape juice production, we decided we should give it a go,” Lines said.
In 2021, Lines’s team were producing 1000 litres from hops sourced from his property.
However, hops have always been a part of the Lines’s family history with Peter’s great, great grandfather, John Lines, planting hops and milking cows. Eventually the farm spread to over 100 hectares and includes a 40-year-old vineyard.
