A pro-life Christmas tree, decorated with baubles containing model foetuses, has drawn fire for its inclusion in Nelson cathedral's annual display.

The tree, decorated by the Voice for Life organisation, has clear baubles with plastic foetuses and other decorations with slogans such as "take my hand, not my life", "speak for the weak" and "every life has value".

Nelson woman Sarah Kerby said she took her young children to see the Christ Church Cathedral display and was shocked to see the Voice for Life tree. She said it was confusing, hurtful and upsetting.

"My six-year-old noticed and started asking why are there weird babies, so then we had to have that conversation about why some people believe the things they do and about our beliefs.

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"It's a really difficult subject and I think people have a right to have those conversations with their kids in their own time."

Kerby complained about the tree and said the cathedral's response was that the Christmas trees were simply from community groups trying to promote their message.

MARTIN DE RUYTER Dean Mike Hawke with the Christmas tree made by the Te Tau Ihu Palestinian Solidarity group for the Cathedral Christmas Tree Festival.

"I don't think that is an appropriate thing to have on display, it seems like it was designed to hurt people and to be harmful, they could have done baby booties or something," Kerby said.

She held several community roles that meant she looked after women during pregnancy. She knew someone who miscarried a much wanted pregnancy that found the tree upsetting and another who'd had 13 pregnancies and said the pictures on the decorations made her want to cry.

"If you are going into a cathedral to see Christmas trees, you expect to see tinsel and fairy lights. It's inappropriate for a cathedral that is meant to be a safe space for the community."

The annual Cathedral Christmas Tree Festival has been running for more than 10 years. It began on November 26 and contains 60 trees that have been decorated by businesses and community organisations including a number of kindergartens and retirement villages.

Voice for Life Nelson committee member Elaine Borger said she was not aware of any complaints about the tree and had only received positive feedback.

The anti-abortion organisation, which also opposes euthanasia, was formed in 1970.

MARTIN DE RUYTER The Christmas tree decorated by the Voice for Life group was adorned with baubles depicting 12-week-old foetuses, ultrasound images and quotes including, "Every life has value".

"We believe every human life right from conception to natural death is precious and has worth and value," Borger said.

Borger said the Nelson branch thought the festival was an opportunity to promote the message that life wass precious. The tree had been decorated with ultrasound images and models of 12-week old foetuses to celebrate the lives of unborn, newborn and infant children.

She denied the decorations were confronting and said the tree was a wonderful display of family.

"We were all unborn at one stage, like an ultrasound image is not confronting, that is how every human life began. The decorations can easily be explained to a child, 'that's what you looked like before you were born'."

Christ Church Cathedral dean Mike Hawke said the church had received four complaints about the Voice for Life tree. He agreed it was confronting, but he had not considered removing it from the festival.

"It is not my role to be a censor, it is my role to point people to God, not to be a censor and tell them what they can't do."

MARTIN DE RUYTER There are 60 trees in the festival decorated by Nelson businesses and community groups.

He said there was also a Christmas tree from the Te Tau Ihu Palestinian Solidarity group made of barbed wire and decorated with gold baubles which was confronting for people involved in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"This cathedral will continue to feature Christmas trees from all sorts of groups in Nelson, with a whole variety of views and my plea is that both conservatives and liberals can accept each other's opinions."

He said 95 per cent of the trees in the festival were not controversial, "they just portray some of the fantastic work that Nelsonians are doing".

"None of the trees here mean the cathedral is aligned formally with anyone.

"There are some things that I personally disagree with, there are some things I don't and this is a public forum, the Nelson Cathedral belongs to Nelson."