New Zealand Legislation: Acts

15 Reporting of deaths to coroner by police

• (1) This subsection applies to a member of the police—

  • (a) who finds a body in New Zealand; or

  • (b) to whom a report of a death is made under section 14.

  (2) A member of the police to whom subsection (1) applies must, unless excused from doing so by subsection (3), cause the death concerned to be reported immediately—

  • (a) to the coroner designated under section 133 by the chief coroner to receive reports of, and perform every other part of the coroner's role in relation to, all deaths in the area in which the death occurred or that fall into another specified class into which the death falls; or

  • (b) if that coroner is unavailable, to another coroner.

  (3) A member of the police is not required by subsection (2) to report a death if he or she believes that the death is already known to, or will be reported by another member of the police to, the coroner, or a coroner, to whom the death is required by that subsection to be reported.

  Compare: 1988 No 111 s 5(4)