A coroner is someone whose job is to investigate sudden, unexplained or suspicious deaths. They work out when, where, why and how the death occurred, and whether it could have been prevented.
A death is referred to a coroner if:
The coroner’s investigation can include a post-mortem examination (an autopsy).
To request records from a case the coroner is still investigating, contact the regional office responsible for the case.
Find out how to contact the regional Coronial officesopen_in_new.
If the case has been closed for less than 50 years, what information you can request depends on your relationship to the deceased:
Use this form to make request information about a case that has been closed for less than 50 years -
IRF-2 Request for coronial informationopen_in_new (PDF, 145 KB)
The Coronial Officer will respond to your request within 20 working days. They will let you know if there are any costs to pay.
If the case has been closed for more than 50 years, the file will be held by Archives NZ.
You can contact Archives NZ for help:
Find out about requesting records from Archives NZ.
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