The chief executive of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, David Smol, says the number of deaths in forestry over the past year is unacceptable.
Two forestry workers were killed on the job last week, one in Nelson and the other in the central North Island, bringing the total number of deaths this year to nine.
Mr Smol says he is not happy about the number of deaths, and the ministry is regulating more actively - including shutting down forestry operations if required.
He says the Government has set a target of reducing the number of workplace fatalities by 25% by 2020.
