Coroners Act 2006

Inquiries into causes and circumstances of deaths - Inquiries

57: Purposes of inquiries

You could also call this:

"Why coroners investigate deaths"

You go to a coroner when someone dies. The coroner looks into the death for three reasons. They want to find out if someone died, who they were, when and where they died, why they died, and what happened. The coroner also makes recommendations or comments, as stated in section 57A. You can think of this like trying to piece together what happened. The coroner's third reason is to decide if other authorities should look into the death. If they think it is a good idea, they will send the case to those authorities.

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

Topics:

Crime and justice > Police and safetyHealth and wellbeing > Public health

56: Use and disposal of retained parts or samples whose return is not requested, or

"What happens to body parts or samples that nobody wants back"

57A: Recommendations or comments by coroners, or

"Coroners can make comments to help prevent similar deaths"

Part 3Inquiries into causes and circumstances of deaths
Inquiries

57Purposes of inquiries

A coroner opens and conducts an inquiry (including any related inquest) for the 3 purposes stated in this section, and not to determine civil, criminal, or disciplinary liability.
The first purpose is to establish, so far as possible,—
that a person has died; and
the person's identity; and
when and where the person died; and
the causes of the death; and
the circumstances of the death.

The second purpose is to make recommendations or comments (see section 57A).
The third purpose is to determine whether the public interest would be served by the death being investigated by other investigating authorities in the performance or exercise of their functions, powers, or duties, and to refer the death to them if satisfied that the public interest would be served by their investigating it in the performance or exercise of their functions, powers, or duties.

Compare

1988 No 111 s 15(1)

Notes

Section 57(3): replaced, on 21 July 2016, by section 35 of the Coroners Amendment Act 2016 (2016 No 29).