The person killed in a hunting accident in Kaingaroa Forest yesterday was an 11-year-old boy.

Police have confirmed Connor Phillips died when an adult member of the hunting party was unloading a firearm at the end of the hunt.

A scene examination was conducted yesterday and police are speaking to a number of people as part of the ongoing investigation.

A post mortem examination will be carried out today.

Police will not be disclosing the outcome of the post mortem and will be making no further comment until the conclusion of the investigation.

Connor Phillips was from Reporoa.

He was a pupil at Reporoa Primary, and the school is holding a meeting about the incident.

Hunter Safety Lab spokesman Brad Johnson said there's more at play in hunting accidents than meets the eye - with the mind often tricking people to see what they want.

He says the 'identify your target' messaging is great, and has led to a massive decrease in accidents.

"For the last 10 years, there's sort of a flat line in these residual actions, and we believe they are unconscious human error."