Bay of Plenty's Fa'asiu Fuatai has received a three-week suspension after being red carded against Wellington on Friday.
The outside back was sent from the field by referee Brendon Pickerill in the 66th minute of the match for his involvement in a lifting tackle that resulted in an opposition player's head making direct contact with the ground.
A statement from New Zealand Rugby said the duty judicial officer Aminiasi Kefu found Fuatai's action was reckless and the entry point for the sanction was ruled to be at the lower end of the scale of seriousness which has a sanction of six weeks.
In taking into account aggravating factors, Kefu added two weeks to the sanction as Fuatai had previously been to the judiciary for a similar offence, noting the outcome needed to act as a deterrent to end the pattern of offending.
Kefu noted that another player was also involved in the tackle and that Fuatai's participation was only moderate.