Coroners Act 2006

Deaths to be reported and post-mortems - Post-mortems

39: Definitions for section 38

You could also call this:

"What special words mean in section 38"

When you read section 38 and this section, you need to know what some words mean. A funeral director is someone who has a special meaning given in section 2(1) of the Burial and Cremation Act 1964. You can find this meaning by looking at the link to the Burial and Cremation Act 1964. A nurse is a health practitioner who is registered with the Nursing Council of New Zealand. This registration is under section 114(1)(a) of the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003. The nurse's scope of practice must allow them to do general nursing functions.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM377562.

This page was last updated on 12 December 2025 — View changes

Topics:

Health and wellbeing > Healthcare servicesDeath and bereavement > Funerals

38: Who may attend post-mortem, or

"Who can be at a post-mortem examination?"

40: Coroner may require person's doctor to report, or

"The coroner can ask a person's doctor for a report about their health before they died."

Part 2Deaths to be reported and post-mortems
Post-mortems

39Definitions for section 38

In section 38 and this section,—
funeral director has the meaning given in section 2(1) of the Burial and Cremation Act 1964
nurse means a health practitioner who is, or is deemed to be, registered with the Nursing Council of New Zealand continued by section 114(1)(a) of the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 as a practitioner of the profession of nursing whose scope of practice permits the performance of general nursing functions

Compare

2000 No 94 s 4

Notes

Section 39 funeral director: replaced, on 21 July 2016, by section 25(1) of the Coroners Amendment Act 2016 (2016 No 29).
Section 39 national qualification: repealed, on 21 July 2016, by section 25(1) of the Coroners Amendment Act 2016 (2016 No 29).
Section 39 National Qualifications Framework: repealed, on 21 July 2016, by section 25(1) of the Coroners Amendment Act 2016 (2016 No 29).
Section 39 Qualifications Authority: repealed, on 21 July 2016, by section 25(2) of the Coroners Amendment Act 2016 (2016 No 29).