But it is incomprehensible how he came to be employed by Waiariki Institute of Technology. It was their course, run out of the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology, at which - according to reports - Mr Clunie was part of a team cutting down an old pine tree when the accident happened.
For far too long the forestry industry has taken too little care with workers' safety. Years of experience doesn't mean expertise - it can just mean years of doing things the wrong way. And every death could represent hundreds of near-misses and unreported accidents.
Mr Clunie could be exonerated after the investigation. But that still leaves the Waiariki Institute employing a man whose company was successfully prosecuted in the death of a worker.
It will take a huge effort to change the culture in the forestry industry. And that may have to come through the courts.
The first prosecution for manslaughter after a forestry death has begun. Manslaughter is a charge against a person, not a company and this prosecution demonstrates a much-needed shift in accountability.