Coroners Act 2006

Deaths to be reported and post-mortems - Release of bodies, and retention and return of body parts and bodily samples

47: Receipt, removal, and taking of parts and samples

You could also call this:

"How pathologists take body parts or samples to help coroners investigate deaths"

You can think of a pathologist as a doctor who helps figure out how someone died. They can take a body part or a sample from a body if they think it's necessary to help a coroner understand what happened. They must take the smallest part or sample possible to do their job. They can only take what they need to help with the investigation. You might wonder what happens if they need to take more than one sample. They can take more than one, but only if it's really necessary. There are other laws that allow pathologists to take body parts or samples, and this law doesn't change those. A coroner is someone who helps investigate deaths, and they can direct a post-mortem, which is a special examination of a body, under section 31. This helps them understand what happened. The pathologist must follow the rules when taking body parts or samples for this examination.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM377581.

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

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46: Costs of transporting body moved for post-mortem, etc, or

"Who pays to move a body for a post-mortem examination?"

48: Retention of parts and samples on release of body, or

"Keeping small body parts for investigation after a body is released"

Part 2Deaths to be reported and post-mortems
Release of bodies, and retention and return of body parts and bodily samples

47Receipt, removal, and taking of parts and samples

A pathologist may, with no further authority than this section, receive or remove a body part, take a bodily sample, or both, if the pathologist believes on reasonable grounds that the receipt, removal, or taking concerned is necessary for the purposes of a post-mortem of a body directed by a coroner under section 31.
A body part removed, or bodily sample taken, by a pathologist for the purposes of the post-mortem must be as small as possible for the kind of analysis or examination for which the part is removed or the sample is taken.
The number of body parts received or removed, bodily samples taken, or both, must be no greater than is necessary for the purposes of the post-mortem.
Nothing in this section prevents any other receipt, removal, or taking of a part or sample authorised by law.