New Zealand is now a safer place for children, but child safety advocates say more should be done to protect them.

A Safekids Aotearoa report shows in 2013, 38 children died from unintentional injuries, down from 126 in 1989.

Most injuries were due to suffocation, followed by car crashes and then drowning.

But Starship emergency specialist Dr Mike Shepherd said we're still doing worse than a lot of other developed countries, and more work is needed.

He's concerned the rules around swimming pool fences could be watered down by new legislation.

He's also advocating wider use of lower speed limits in residential and school zones.