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Coroners Act 2006

Inquiries into causes and circumstances of deaths - Completion of inquiries

94A: Chief coroner to monitor inquiries not completed within 1 year

You could also call this:

"Chief coroner checks on slow inquiries"

Illustration for Coroners Act 2006

If you are a coroner and you have not finished an inquiry into a death within one year, the chief coroner must check on how it is going. The chief coroner can also ask you to explain why you have not finished the inquiry yet. This rule does not apply if the inquiry is closed under section 65A. If you have not completed and signed a certificate of findings under section 94 within one year of the death being reported, the chief coroner will take action.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM6907644.

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"Chief Coroner Must Share Info on Ongoing Inquiries"

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

94AChief coroner to monitor inquiries not completed within 1 year

  1. If a coroner conducting an inquiry into a death has not, in respect of the death, completed and signed a certificate of findings under section 94 within 1 year of the date on which the death was reported to the coroner, the chief coroner—

  2. must monitor the progress of the inquiry; and
    1. may require the coroner conducting the inquiry to explain why he or she has not concluded the inquiry.

      1. Subsection (1) does not apply if an inquiry is closed under section 65A.

      Notes
      • Section 94A: inserted, on , by section 54 of the Coroners Amendment Act 2016 (2016 No 29).
      • Section 94A(2): inserted, on , by section 22 of the Judicature (Timeliness) Legislation Amendment Act 2025 (2025 No 85).