Warning after boy, 2, dies in tractor tragedy

Children should never ride on tractors without being properly restrained, a farming leader says.

Federated Farmers Rotorua-Taupo sharemilkers' section chairman John Butterworth's comments follow the weekend death of a 2-year-old boy, whose father ran over him after he fell from a moving tractor in a paddock near Rerewhakaaitu, 40km southeast of Rotorua.

Members of the public attempted CPR but the boy died at the scene at the scene, police said.

Mr Butterworth said the boy's death was "very sad" and that children simply shouldn't go on tractors if they were not restrained.

"It's one of those things that has always been done but it shouldn't be done, it's highly dangerous," he told APNZ

Organisations such as Federated Farmers needed to raise awareness of the dangers of such practices _ and their consequences _ in the hope they would eventually phase out.

Many tractors were fitted with seatbelts but not everyone used them.

"It's one thing to put them in but it's another to make them use it," Mr Butterworth said.

However, the culture around children on dairy farms had changed considerably as the industry had become more professional, with many new milking sheds featuring purpose-built "playrooms" for children.

"They're very safe. Mum and dad can look through the window and see them. Otherwise, one parent stays home and looks after them."

The incident is being investigated.