A Tauranga DJ has died after being buried alive in a landslip while at work on a Te Poi property yesterday.

Thirty-four-year-old father of five Michael Haines was working in a trench that had been dug out to gain access to a pipe join on a rural Raparapa Road property about 12.30pm Tuesday, when a large slip buried him.

Michael Haines DJed in Tauranga.

'The digger operator saw what had happened and managed to dig the victim out to the point where his head was clear before he ran to get assistance from nearby farm and construction workers,” says Sergeant Graham McGurk.

Michael was initially conscious and able to breathe but his condition deteriorated, say police.

'The combined efforts of the workers managed to free him, but he was by now unconscious.

'An ambulance arrived at the scene about this time and CPR was carried out until such time as an air ambulance helicopter arrived to fly him to Waikato Hospital but he was unable to be revived.”

A WorkSafe NZ team attended the scene and police are now assisting them in their enquiries into what happened.

Friends of father of three who lived in Matamata but travelled to Tauranga regularly to DJ, describe him as a good man who loved his family.

Known as Djdfuse, he was a regular at Bahama Hut back in 2004, 2005 and 2006 and also played at Illuminati from time to time.

Bahama Hut owner Jason McCarthy says Michael was an awesome guy and really helpful.

'He was always out to help anyone. He was funny and really loved his children and his family, real big on family.

'I heard he had played for Clayton Mitchell at The Mount last month.”

Jason says Mike is the second Bahama Hut DJ to die after Darrell Cottel lost his battle with cancer last year.

'When we opened in Tauranga again in 2011, he was playing at Illuminati. He was still building and working out of town so couldn't play every weekend, but he was playing over there every other weekend.

'He helped me build the steps out the back of my bar and that was the last time I saw him.

The council were complaining that I didn't have a fire escape, so he came around a built me one. Like I say he was always keen to help anyone out.”

Jason says Michael was a very-family orientated man who will be sorely missed by everyone who knew him.

Dom Agnew met Mike through mutual friends in the Tauranga hospitality scene.

'He was just a genuinely good person who always had time for a chat and a drink whenever I stepped foot in the club.

'He has a lot of great mates in Tauranga who are mourning his loss and can't believe this is all happening.”

His death has been referred to a Coroner.