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Coroners Act 2006

Deaths to be reported and post-mortems - Custody and removal of bodies

18: When New Zealand Police has exclusive right to custody of body

You could also call this:

"When Police take care of a body after someone dies"

Illustration for Coroners Act 2006

You have a role in understanding the law about bodies after someone dies. The New Zealand Police has the right to take care of a body when they think a death might have happened in certain circumstances, such as those mentioned in section 13(2). They keep this right until the death is reported to a coroner, as stated in section 15(2)(a) or section 15(2)(b), and a responsible coroner is appointed. You need to know the Police must report the death to a coroner as soon as possible. The Police can exercise their right to take care of the body on behalf of the coroner, as stated in section 19. This means the Police can still take care of the body even after they report the death to the coroner. The Police's role is important in taking care of the body after someone dies. They work with coroners to make sure everything is done properly. You can find more information about the law in the Coroners Amendment Act 2016.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM377538.

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Topics:
Health and wellbeing > Public healthCrime and justice > Police and safety
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"Police help coroners find out what happened when someone dies"

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19: When responsible coroner has exclusive right to custody of body, or

"When a coroner is in charge of a body"

Part 2Deaths to be reported and post-mortems
Custody and removal of bodies

18When New Zealand Police has exclusive right to custody of body

  1. The New Zealand Police has an exclusive right to custody of the body of a person—

  2. from the time when a Police employee first suspects on reasonable grounds that a death to which section 13(2) applies may have occurred; and
    1. until—
      1. the death is reported to the designated coroner under section 15(2)(a); or
        1. if the death is reported to another coroner under section 15(2)(b), a responsible coroner has been appointed by the chief coroner under section 133A(1).

        2. Despite subsection (1)(b), the New Zealand Police must ensure that the death is reported to the designated coroner, or another coroner, as soon as practicable.

        3. Nothing in this section affects when the exclusive right can be and is exercised by or on behalf of the New Zealand Police, or prevents the New Zealand Police from exercising on behalf of the responsible coroner his or her right under section 19.

        Notes
        • Section 18: replaced, on , by section 14 of the Coroners Amendment Act 2016 (2016 No 29).