Unions and families who have lost loved ones working in New Zealand's forestry industry are calling for an inquiry into what they say is the country's deadliest line of work.
The Council of Trade Unions says 25 people have died while working in forests in the past five years - averaging around four deaths a year.
The union says four people have been killed already this year, and almost 900 people have also been seriously injured since 2008.
Family members of forestry workers who have died as a result of their job. Photo: RNZ
A service was held in Auckland on Sunday for workers who have died, as part of an international memorial day.
Council of Trade Unions president Helen Kelly told families at the service that an inquiry, along the lines of the Royal Commission into the Pike River coal mine tragedy, needs to be held into "lax safety standards".
"This carnage cannot continue and we need to stop it. We need an inquiry into this industry to examine the causes of these accidents and to make recommendations that make it safe."
The CTU says New Zealand's forestry industry is up to seven times more dangerous than Britain's, and twice as dangerous as Australia's forestry work.
