Korako Nuk; Rurawhe AdrianNUK KORAKO (National): Tōku mihi e Te Mana Whakawā e huri noa i Te Whare nei e mihi atu ki a koutou katoa.[My greetings Mr Assistant Speaker all around this House greetings to you all.]I'm privileged to stand to speak in the second reading of the Coroners (Access to Body of Dead Person) Amendment Bill because as the chair of the Māori Affairs Committee in the last Parliament it was our committee that created the impetus for this bill through its 2016 report Inquiry into whānau access to and management of tūpāpaku which was instigated by the honourable Metiria Turei. But also I'd like to acknowledge former MPs of that committee who are not here today and particularly tonight: Pita Paraone and also Marama Fox who were part of that.This bill implements the recommendations from the report that actually require legislative change. There is nothing more tapu—as you know e Te Mana Whakawā—in Te Ao Māori than the tūpāpaku and the associated tangi. The customs and practices that many Māori engage with concerning our deceased are very ancient. The process of death and the associated practices are time-honoured and integral in the expression of our Māori culture.The process of tangi begins at the moment of death. For those whānau fortunate enough to be present at the time of their loved one's death the process of mourning starts. That process of course begins with the act of tangi: the wailing the maringi ōna roimata me ngā hupe [the flowing its tears and the mucus] the touching of the body—all of this constitutes an integral part of our process of grieving the loss of a loved one. For many Māori we have a custom of not leaving the side of our loved one until the tūpāpaku has been buried. That is why we sleep next to our deceased loved one and that is why we never leave the tūpāpaku or the body unattended. Even in the act of transporting and dressing the tūpāpaku by the undertaker we still have whānau that will actually be present or will actually do the dressing of our tūpāpaku. Indeed in my iwi the dressing and the preparation of tūpāpaku has always been undertaken by our wāhine. That is also why we are reluctant to let our loved one be passed across to a coroner where we can no longer be present alongside our loved one.Yet there must be processes for the coroner to do their mahi through the Coroners Act 2006 which regulates the coronial system in New Zealand. For example an unexpected death that could reveal a hereditary heart defect a whānau was not aware of can mean a life for a whānau of the deceased a sudden death that can be attributed to a communicable disease can mean safety for a community and the discovery of a homicide can mean justice for a society. All of these constitute a valid reason for the coroner to be able to do their mahi but there must be a balancing act and this is what we're attempting to achieve with this bill.The role of the coroner is to investigate sudden or unexplained deaths and to make recommendations that can help reduce the chance of further deaths in similar circumstances. The core purposes of the Coroners Act 2006 are to help prevent deaths and to promote justice. To achieve these purposes the Act states that it recognises … the cultural and spiritual needs of [a whānau] and of others" close to the deceased person. While the Coroners Act 2006 responds fairly well—as we noted in our Māori Affairs Committee report of 2016 it actually does address in some ways the cultural needs of whānau during the coronial processes—the report from the Māori Affairs Committee identified that there was an opportunity to improve the coronial system so that it can better meet the needs of our culturally diverse society. I say that because it's not just Māori that we were looking at when we were doing this particular inquiry; we actually tried to hear the submissions of as many ethnicities here that we have in New Zealand.So in doing that that is why this bill has been brought to this House—to actually address tikaka Māori but also other ethnicities and other cultures. The Coroners (Access to Body of Dead Person) Amendment Bill will ensure that all cultural beliefs including tikaka Māori will be recognised and supported within our New Zealand coronial services. In most cases this already happens and it is included in the guidance procedures for coroners. However it is not a legislative requirement and that was made plain in our inquiry as well.This bill will ensure that the cultural beliefs are explicitly taken into account as a matter of course. The bill amends section 26 of the Coroners Act to explicitly require the coroner to consider tikaka Māori and the expectations of other cultures when determining who can view touch or remain near the tūpāpaku. It is important to note that this bill does not seek to change the current practice of coroners. What this bill does is to ensure this practice of taking cultural considerations into account is more visible and tangible for those who are dealing with the loss of a loved one.I am pleased that this bill is widely supported across the House and I hope that it can swiftly pass through the remaining stages to become law. I have no hesitation to commend this bill to the House.Āpiti hono tātai hono rātou ki te hunga mate ki te hunga mate ki a rātou. Āpiti hono tātai hono tātou ki te hunga ora ki te hunga ora ki a tātou e mihi atu ki a tātou katoa. Kia ora.[Let the connections be made the deceased remain with the deceased. Let the connections be made the living remain with the living greetings to us all.]Thank you.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Adrian Rurawhe): This is a split call—five minutes."