A bill making changes to the way coroners work has been sent to select committee with wide support.
Courts Minister Amy Adams said the Coroners Amendment Bill would improve the quality and timeliness of the coroners court. The bill built on previous reforms in 2006 and a review of them in 2012.
The many changes in the bill included better targeting of coroners recommendations, streamlining procedures and processes, and the reporting of self-inflicted deaths.
Adams said there had been debate about whether there should be a mandatory need to respond to a coroner’s recommendations, but this was not in the bill.
Jacinda Ardern said Labour would support bill as it made some important and sensible changes.
Labour would be looking at a number of issues including how to make the best use of the work done by coroners including how their recommendations were made and responded to. Ardern said making it mandatory to respond to a coroner’s recommendation would seem to be a “no brainer”.
The bill was sent to the Justice and Electoral Committee for consideration.
MPs began debating the third reading of the Gambling Amendment Bill (No 2).
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