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Coroners Act 2006

General provisions

8: Overview of this Act

You could also call this:

"This Act is about what coroners do and how they help find out what happened when someone dies."

Illustration for Coroners Act 2006

This Act has several parts that deal with different things. You can find general information about the Act in Part 1, including what a coroner does. Part 2 is about reporting deaths and doing post-mortems. You will find information about investigating deaths in Part 3, including holding inquests. Part 4 is about appointing coroners, how they work, and any rules they must follow. This section gives you a general idea of what the Act is about.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM377068.

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7: Chief coroner's functions, or

"The chief coroner's job is to help the team that investigates deaths work smoothly and efficiently."

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9: Interpretation, or

"What words mean in the Coroners Act"

Part 1General provisions

8Overview of this Act

  1. Part 1 deals with general matters including the purpose and structure of the Act, a coroner's role, the chief coroner's functions, definitions, and the application of the Act.

  2. Part 2 deals with deaths that must be reported and post-mortems and, in particular,—

  3. custody and removal of bodies:
    1. interests of families and other relevant people or organisations:
      1. release of bodies, and retention and return of body parts and bodily samples.

        1. Part 3 deals with—

        2. the opening and conduct of inquiries into the causes and circumstances of deaths and, in particular,—
          1. the holding of inquests and completion of inquiries:
            1. inquiries or further inquiries ordered by the Solicitor-General or the High Court; and
            2. the closing of inquiries.

              1. Part 4 relates to appointments (including removal of, and complaints about, the chief coroner and other coroners), administration, powers, offences and penalties, and technical matters (including regulations and repeals).

              2. This section is only a guide to the general scheme and effect of this Act.

              Notes
              • Section 8(3): replaced, on , by section 17 of the Judicature (Timeliness) Legislation Amendment Act 2025 (2025 No 85).