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Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Act 2021

Registration of information - Deaths - Notification of deaths in New Zealand

42: Coroner must notify Registrar-General of death reported to coroner

You could also call this:

"Coroner tells Registrar-General when someone dies"

Illustration for Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Act 2021

If a coroner finds out someone has died, you need to know they must tell the Registrar-General. The coroner must tell the Registrar-General within 3 working days if the person's body is destroyed or cannot be found. They must include information about the death, like when and where it happened, and who the person was. When a coroner allows a body to be released under section 42 of the Coroners Act 2006, they must tell the Registrar-General as soon as possible. The coroner must give the Registrar-General all the information they have about the death. If the coroner finds out more information, they must tell the Registrar-General as soon as possible. The coroner cannot include information that might suggest someone has committed a crime. A coroner includes an associate coroner, who is a person appointed under the Coroners Act 2006.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM7273679.

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Part 2Registration of information
Deaths: Notification of deaths in New Zealand

42Coroner must notify Registrar-General of death reported to coroner

  1. A coroner must notify the Registrar-General, within 3 working days after the completion of an inquiry relating to the death of a person whose body is destroyed, lost, or impossible or impracticable to recover, if the coroner has established—

  2. that the person has died; and
    1. the person’s identity.

      1. A coroner must notify the Registrar-General of a death that has been reported to the coroner in any other case as soon as practicable after the coroner authorises the release of the body under section 42 of the Coroners Act 2006.

      2. The notification must include all information known to the coroner relating to the date, place, and cause of the death and the identity of the deceased person.

      3. The coroner must notify the Registrar-General of any additional information relating to the date, place, or cause of the death or the identity of the deceased person as soon as practicable after becoming aware of it.

      4. A coroner must not include in the information provided under subsections (2) to (4) any information that tends to incriminate any person of any offence.

      5. For the purposes of this section,—

        associate coroner means a person who holds office as an associate coroner under the Coroners Act 2006

          coroner includes an associate coroner to the extent that they have the jurisdiction of a coroner under the Coroners Act 2006.

          Compare
          Notes
          • Section 42(6): inserted, on , by section 36 of the Coroners Amendment Act 2023 (2023 No 8).