Experienced Taupaki feller Mihajlo Nikolic fatally crushed by tree

RNZ News

12 hours ago

By Tracy Neal, Open Justice reporter of
Mihajlo Nikolic was an experienced woodsman and well-liked member of the Taupaki community, where he lived on a farm. He was killed in April 2025 while felling a tree.
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An experienced woodsman who was fatally crushed by a falling tree had reportedly cut down about 1000 trees in his lifetime.
Contractor Mihajlo Berislav Nikolic, also known as Michael Barry Nikolic, died in April this year, just before his 73rd birthday.
He was found pinned beneath a large pine tree on a property in Waitākere, wearing a helmet and earmuffs, with a chainsaw just in front of him.
Four days before his body was discovered, he was at home with his partner when he told her he was heading out.
She assumed he was taking the dog for a walk on the Taupaki farm between Massey and Kumeū, where he had lived since he was a child, and where the couple had lived for 30 years.
At some stage, he also mentioned he was "going bush and he'd be gone for a while", which was not unusual for Nikolic, who would sometimes go camping alone for up to a week, his partner told the coroner examining the death.
Nikolic's partner had no idea he was going to cut trees, which was something he did regularly.
In findings released today, a letter from Nikolic's stepdaughter, Marée Cross, said that his experience with felling trees was extensive.
A long-time friend, who had worked alongside Nikolic, estimated he would have cut down more than 1000 trees in his lifetime, Cross said.
He was described as an experienced, proficient and cautious tree feller.
Coroner Ian Telford said in the findings that Nikolic was last seen at home on the afternoon of April 5, and his body was found four days later.
The police believed that the tree may have broken at the roots because of the soft ground, but in the absence of witnesses, the precise circumstances leading to the accident could not be established, Coroner Telford said, in finding the death was accidental.
He said when considering all the evidence, particularly that of the pathologist, it was likely that Nikolic died of traumatic crush injuries to his torso on 5 April.
Coroner Telford said WorkSafe considered manual tree felling one of the most dangerous tasks in the forestry industry.
"Mike's case serves as a sobering reminder of the inherent risks involved, and the necessity for extreme care and vigilance - regardless of experience," he said.
Cross described her stepfather in the letter to the coroner as an outdoorsman in every way, and one who was generous and careful.
He was born and raised on the Taupaki farm, and had taken responsibility for it from the age of 13 when his father died, Cross said.
"As the oldest son, his mother came to rely on him for sorting out the animals and keeping the land in order."
Cross said Nikolic was a long-standing member of the neighbourhood and "extremely well known for always being around to lend a hand to others".
She said he was especially welcoming to new neighbours, some of whom had moved to lifestyle blocks in the area with little or no experience in land management.
Nikolic was a longtime member of the NZ Deerstalkers Association and Cross said he was also a qualified mechanic who loved Jeeps.
As a contractor, he was often out and about on his and others' land, tending to stuck tractors, working with felling and chopping up trees, sorting out broken fencing, and putting in new fencing poles for stock yards and vineyards.
"He was a much-loved stepdad to me, and grandpa to our two little ones, and he always enjoyed passing on his practical skills to his city family," Cross wrote.
Coroner Telford invited all those engaged in tree-felling work to revisit their practices. He said WorkSafe Best Practice Guidelines on safe manual tree felling were available on the WorkSafe website.
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This story originally appeared in the
New Zealand Herald
.