Coroners Act 2006

Inquiries into causes and circumstances of deaths - Completion of inquiries

92: Body must be viewed before certain inquiries concluded

You could also call this:

"A coroner must see a body before finishing some investigations in New Zealand."

You need to view a body before a coroner can finish some inquiries. The body must have been seen in New Zealand. If the body is destroyed or lost, it must have been in New Zealand before that happened, or the death must have occurred on a New Zealand aircraft, as defined in section 5 of the Civil Aviation Act 2023, or a New Zealand ship, as defined in section 2(1) of the Maritime Transport Act 1994, or an Armed Forces aircraft or ship, as defined in section 2(1) of the Defence Act 1990. This rule does not apply if the Solicitor-General allowed the inquiry to start under section 59(1)‎(c)‎(ii).

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM377836.

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

Topics:

Crime and justice > Victim supportHealth and wellbeing > Public health

91: Evidence at distance for purposes of inquest, or

"Getting evidence from somewhere else for an inquest"

93: Certificate of and written reasons for interim findings, or

"Coroner's temporary findings and reasons"

Part 3Inquiries into causes and circumstances of deaths
Completion of inquiries

92Body must be viewed before certain inquiries concluded

No coroner may issue a certificate of interim findings, or conclude an inquiry, unless satisfied that the body of the person concerned—
has been viewed in New Zealand; or
is destroyed, irrecoverable, or lost, and—
1. the person was in New Zealand immediately before the body was destroyed or became irrecoverable or lost; or
2. the death occurred on or from—
  1. a New Zealand registered aircraft (as defined in section 5 of the Civil Aviation Act 2023); or
  2. a New Zealand ship (as defined in section 2(1) of the Maritime Transport Act 1994); or
  3. an aircraft or a ship of the Armed Forces (as defined in section 2(1) of the Defence Act 1990).

Subsection (1) does not apply to an inquiry the opening of which was authorised by the Solicitor-General under section 59(1)(c)(ii).

Notes

Section 92: replaced, on 21 July 2016, by section 52 of the Coroners Amendment Act 2016 (2016 No 29).
Section 92(1)(b)(ii)(A): amended, on 5 April 2025, by section 486 of the Civil Aviation Act 2023 (2023 No 10).