New Zealand Cricket is revising its introductory cricket and development programmes. It's looking at how the game is structured and how the regions should operate.
Compulsory helmets will "certainly be one area of discussion", said Mr Crocker a former Northern Districts opening batsman.
"It is something I think we need to look at. If there's anything good to come out of something like this, is it kind of puts focus on things like that."
New Zealand Cricket supplies professional players - at international and provincial level - with the same Masuri brand of helmets Hughes was wearing. However, they are newer models than the one Hughes was wearing with more protection.
Mr Crocker is satisfied with the standard of those helmets, but added that some players may choose to wear their sponsor's brand.
Hughes was playing for South Australia when he was felled by a delivery from New South Wales fast bowler Sean Abbott that struck him on the back of the head, beneath his helmet, during a Sheffield Shield match at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Tuesday.
After a few seconds' delay, the 25-year-old batsman collapsed face-first on to the pitch.
He was rushed from the SCG to St Vincent's Hospital and immediately underwent surgery to relieve pressure to his brain.
Australian team doctor Peter Brukner yesterday afternoon provided an update on Hughes' condition after the cricketer underwent further scans.
"Phillip's condition is unchanged and he remains critical. If there are any further developments we will let you know immediately."
The incident has sent shockwaves through the international cricket community and prompted discussion on the safety of the game.
Head of the New Zealand Cricket Players' Association Heath Mills, who is in Sydney, said yesterday "everyone here is in a state of shock".
"A number of players I have spoken to are taking a big breath," he said.
The fact that such a talented batsman, not a tail-ender with limited skill, who was wearing a modern helmet, can be fighting for his life after being hit by a ball has also had ramifications on this side of the Tasman.
Former Black Caps batsman and captain Ken Rutherford said the "sickening" incident provides an opportunity "for the cricket authorities to look at the safety of players".
"It awakens us all to the perils of facing fast bowling. Helmets have been around since the mid-seventies and the Kerry Packer revolution, and helmets themselves have undergone an evolution over time.
"But it just goes to show that even with all the modern technology and design that these kinds of things can still happen. It's a bit of a wake-up call for us all."
However, he warned against an overreaction.
He said that plenty of players have been hit in the helmet or head in recent times and lived to tell the tale.
"I've taken a couple on the head. If you play 17 years of first-class cricket you're probably going to get a few," he said.
"I remember Hadlee hitting me in the head once at Eden Park in a charity game - that wasn't too charitable, was it?
The news stunned the Black Caps on the eve of their third test against Pakistan in Sharjah with several players taking to social media to offer messages of support for Hughes and his family.
Ross Taylor tweeted: "Thoughts are with Phil Hughes and his family. Get better soon mate."
Headgear common sense, says mum
Mother Stephanie Shennan says putting a cricket helmet on your kids is about common sense, not cotton wool.
Ms Shennan's 9-year-old son Luke plays cricket with a softball and no helmet, but she would welcome a move to make head protection mandatory - even at a junior level.
"You just want to protect your kids as much as you can, and it's not about wrapping them up in cotton wool, it's about being sensible about it.
Luke Shennan, aged 9, and his sister Brooke, 7. Photo / Dean Purcell
"Any kind of ball that is being thrown at you is pretty hard in my mind," she said.
Neither Luke nor any of his teammates wore helmets when they played, she said, and it worried her. "At this age the boys are really starting to get quite strong - some of them are really good bowlers and really good batters so the ball can really get smacked around - so I think it's really important to wear a helmet but no one in the junior league that I've seen does."
