Plain language law

New Zealand law explained for everyone

Coroners Act 2006

Deaths to be reported and post-mortems - Reporting of deaths

15: Reporting of deaths to coroner by Police

You could also call this:

"Police Must Tell Coroner About Deaths"

Illustration for Coroners Act 2006

You are a Police employee who finds a body in New Zealand. You must report the death to a coroner immediately. You can report it to another coroner if the first one is not available. You do not have to report the death if you think another Police employee already has. If you report a death to a coroner who is not the chief coroner, they must tell the chief coroner as soon as possible. This is what you must do when someone dies and you are a Police employee, as stated in section 13.

This text is automatically generated. It might be out of date or be missing some parts. Find out more about how we do this.

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM377534.

This page was last updated on — View changes

Topics:
Crime and justice > Police and safetyHealth and wellbeing > Public health
Previous

14: Deaths that must be reported under section 13(2), or

"Deaths that must be reported to help keep people safe in New Zealand"

Next

16: Responsible coroner, or

"The coroner in charge of handling a death is called the responsible coroner."

Part 2Deaths to be reported and post-mortems
Reporting of deaths

15Reporting of deaths to coroner by Police

  1. This subsection applies to a Police employee—

  2. who finds a body in New Zealand; or
    1. to whom a report of a death is made under section 13.

      1. A Police employee to whom subsection (1) applies must, unless excused from doing so by subsection (3), cause the death concerned to be reported immediately—

      2. to the appropriate designated coroner; or
        1. if there is no designated coroner, or if that coroner is unavailable, to another coroner.

          1. A Police employee is not required by subsection (2) to cause a death to be reported if he or she believes that the death is already known to, or will be reported by another Police employee to, a coroner.

          2. A coroner (other than the chief coroner) to whom a finding or death is reported under subsection (2)(b) must report it to the chief coroner as soon as practicable.

          Notes
          • Section 15: replaced, on , by section 11 of the Coroners Amendment Act 2016 (2016 No 29).