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Coroners Act 2006

Deaths to be reported and post-mortems - Interests of families and other relevant people or organisations

27: Family may request pathologist's report on post-mortem

You could also call this:

"Get a copy of the post-mortem report if you're a family member"

Illustration for Coroners Act 2006

You can ask for a copy of the pathologist's report if a coroner has done a post-mortem. The coroner must give you the report for free if you are a family member and you ask for it. You can only get the report if it does not have information that the police want to keep secret. You can also ask the coroner if the pathologist can explain the report to you. The coroner can say yes to this if you are a family member. You can get a copy of the report, even if some information is missing, by following the rules in section 29. The coroner will give you the report if they have it and you ask for it. They will not give you the report if it has secret information that the police want to keep hidden. You can get help understanding the report from the pathologist if you ask the coroner.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM377548.

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26: Matters to be taken into account under section 25(3), or

"Things the coroner considers when dealing with a dead person's body"

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28: Any person may access specified certificates and notices, or

"You can ask to see certain documents like certificates and notices for free"

Part 2Deaths to be reported and post-mortems
Interests of families and other relevant people or organisations

27Family may request pathologist's report on post-mortem

  1. The coroner must (without charge) give a member of a dead person's immediate family a copy of the pathologist's report if—

  2. a coroner has, under section 31, directed a pathologist to perform a post-mortem of a person's body; and
    1. the coroner has possession of the pathologist's report on the post-mortem; and
      1. that family member has asked for a copy of the report; and
        1. the copy of the report is not, and does not (because of alterations or deletions) contain in legible form, information that the coroner has been asked by the New Zealand Police to withhold in order to avoid prejudicing the prevention, detection, investigation, prosecution, and punishment of criminal offences relating to the death concerned or its circumstances.

          1. The coroner may, at the request of a member of the dead person's immediate family, authorise a pathologist to contact the family to explain, or answer questions in relation to, the pathologist's report.

          2. A copy of the report (whether it is, or contains, information withheld under subsection (1)(d), or not) may be requested, and made available, in accordance with section 29.

          Compare
          Notes
          • Section 27(1): amended, on , by section 20(1) of the Coroners Amendment Act 2016 (2016 No 29).
          • Section 27(1)(c): replaced, on , by section 20(2) of the Coroners Amendment Act 2016 (2016 No 29).
          • Section 27(1A): inserted, on , by section 20(3) of the Coroners Amendment Act 2016 (2016 No 29).