A coroner has found child protection processes were flawed, before the death of a 15-month-old boy at the hands of his father

Leith Allan Hutchison died in 2015 in Auckland's Starship Hospital, after being transferred there from Grey Base Hospital on the West Coast.

He'd suffered a blunt force trauma to his head.

A post-mortem revealed multiple injuries - some so bad it's believed the boy would have been profoundly disabled, and almost certainly blind in both eyes, had he survived.

Coroner Louella Dunn found a new and inexperienced social worker was assigned to the toddler's case, when concerns of neglect surfaced.

She made several recommendations including that experienced social workers are assigned to cases involving young and vulnerable children.