The Medical Council has placed severe limits on a surgeon who is believed to have botched operations and he will now only be allowed to perform minor procedures.
Michael Parry was stood down from his position at Wairau Hospital in Blenheim in May 2013, after an elderly man died during surgery to repair a hernia and remove his gall bladder.
The police investigated his death and also looked into other surgeries Mr Parry had done, but found the evidence did not reach the threshold for prosecution.
The Council said Mr Parry will need to undergo a performance assessment if he returns to work.
The Chair of the Council's education committee, John Nacey said the case was one of the more serious the Council has dealt with it made the decision to ensure public safety.
He said some of Mr Parry's surgeries resulted in serious complications leading to patient injury.
