Local Government Minister Nick Smith is promising dangerous dog laws will be investigated, following a spate of attacks on children.
At least five children have been badly bitten in dog attacks since Christmas, throwing the spotlight again on the country's dog laws.
In a Porirua attack over the weekend it was reported an 18-month-old child had crawled within the dog's chain reach and was bitten.
Also over the weekend a nine-year-old Rotorua girl was bitten while walking a dog with a group and an 11-year-old Waitara girl was taken to Taranaki Base Hospital after being attacked by two dogs.
In an Ashburton attack last week a three-year-old boy was bitten in the throat while eating chocolate.
On Christmas Day 15-month-old bitten in the face by a dog in Edgecumbe in the Bay of Plenty.
Dr Smith promised to kick-start a stalled pledge to investigate laws governing dangerous dogs which was supposed to take place last year, Fairfax NZ News reported.
His office would investigate the incidents and whether there were any issues with dog control legislation in relation to public safety.
But Owen Dance, president of the New Zealand Kennel Club, says much of the responsibility lay with parents.
Such attacks happen once in a while and would continue until more parents properly educated their children about how to behave around dogs.
It was hard to find examples of farmers' dogs biting farmers' children, he said.
"And in nearly 40 years of the kennel club I have never heard of a kennel club member's child being bitten by one of their dogs," he told Radio New Zealand.
Children should be kept physically separate from the dog until the child was old enough to understand how to behave.
Behaviour humans associated with affection, such as eye contact and placing heads close together, was considered aggression by dogs, Mr Dance said.
NZN