Coroners Court

The Police will report all sudden, unexplained or violent deaths to the coroner. From there, many things may happen:

• The deceased will be in the care of the coroner until such time as the coroner authorises the release of the deceased;
• The deceased will be taken to a place of safety (i.e. hospital mortuary or funeral home) until the coroner makes a decision if a post-mortem is required;
• You may be asked to make formal identification;
• A coroner's representative, who may be a police officer, may contact you to get more information about the circumstances surrounding the death;
• The coroner will decide whether to open an inquiry into the death; and/or
• Medical information may be required.

Your cultural needs will be recognised, and you should communicate these clearly to the coroner's representative as soon as possible.

Anyone who has information they believe may be relevant to the death should contact the Coronial Services of New Zealand as soon as possible.

Each and every death is different, and the investigation may take some time. A coroner's representative, who may be a police officer, will be in contact with you to inform you of what will happen. If you have any queries, please contact the Coronial Services of New Zealand or the inquest officer from the Police.