McKee NicoleNICOLE McKEE (ACT): Thank you Madam Speaker. I'd like to start by congratulating Minister Aupito William Sio for addressing this issue once again. We support this initiative through to its first reading and to select committee for further scrutiny.I worked for the Rotorua Coroner back in the day for a couple of years at a time when coroners were in most districts and they were plentiful and they got through the work. Now we have 19 coroners in nine centres and we only increased those coroners by two as recently as May this year—so from 17 to 19. It's obviously not enough because we have so many families out there that are stuck in the system and awaiting help.So the purpose—and we all agreed on this when we increased the cap back in May—was one that we needed to see which was an increase in the right type of people being able to process coronial cases reducing the stress to grieving families and whānau. What we will have with this bill is a streamlining effect to simplify some of the coronial processes that can easily be simplified without having to wait within the system.This bill has four areas of change to immediately address the delays that are currently being experienced. The first is to formalise the positions that we have established that I just spoke about in May this year where we agreed to the new positions of coronial assistants which I believe will be renamed to associate coroners". It says in the bill that the coroners or the coronial assistants must have five years of barrister and solicitor experience. I have an expectation that they have more than that in life experience because while we may have an influx of lawyers it takes a special type of person to be a coroner and to deal with families in the most stressful times of their lives. I also understand that there's a five-year tenure but with that is also the ability for a coroner or an assistant coroner to be able to stay on past their tenure in order to complete cases. I think this is also important especially when we've heard from families who have been stuck in the system for many many years and have had to go through multiple coroners—that does not help them.It will take the less onerous work away from coroners so that inquiries and inquests can be worked on by a coroner. They can assist with the duty coroner's work and just to outline what that is: a duty coroner is a coroner who is rostered to be on duty and works during the initial 48-hour period after a person's death where they make crucial decisions such as whether or not a death needs an inquiry or is straightforward such as a death caused by natural causes. This will help with coroners' time allowing them to focus on the more complex cases before them that do require an investigation and inquiry.The second aspect of this bill will allow the cause of death to be recorded as "unascertained natural causes" in certain circumstances. For those at home I'd just like to quickly explain the role of the coroner. Coroners are like judges. They're qualified lawyers appointed as judicial officers to investigate unexpected violent or suspicious deaths to find out what actually happened. They don't apportion guilt to anyone for the cause of death but if they think that it is in the public's interest they can make recommendations in an effort to share learnings from a person's untimely passing so that the likelihood of it ever happening again can be reduced.Coroners look at and they decide the facts about certain things to do with a person's death including that a person has actually died who the person was when and where the person died how the person died and the circumstances around the death. This second amendment means that if a person passes away from what is obviously a natural event and the family agree that this has indeed occurred then the coroner or the duty coroner can apply a coroner's finding as being unascertained natural causes. This will ensure that the family involved are not stuck in the system unnecessarily waiting for the processing of a finding that was reasonably seen to be from natural causes.The third amendment will allow coroners to hold inquiries solely in chambers where it is appropriate. Currently a coroner can order an inquiry be held which will investigate unexplained violence or suspicious circumstances to a person's death. The inquiry becomes an inquest when a coroner's court hearing is established in order to hear evidence from witnesses and for the consideration of information and evidence that has been provided. The coroner in this respect will still need to notify interested parties and will have to consider their views when making their decision. If an inquiry can be held in chambers this should again speed up the process benefiting the grieving family while still allowing them the chance to communicate with the coroner.The fourth amendment will enable coroner's reported findings to determine only the cause of death rather than the cause and circumstances relating to the death. Where there is public interest or other reasons for making the circumstances related to the death known the coroner can still issue findings within his report. However this is not always necessary and this particular amendment will also support families by expediting the coronial process.These four changes and some minor amendments that go with them on the face of it look great and we support it through to its first reading and look forward to hearing from stakeholders and families during the select committee period. We know many families have been waiting a long time; some have been waiting many many years. There is simply no closure for them. The stress of losing a loved one and not understanding why is ripping families apart. There's the loss of jobs the loss of enjoyment of life and on top of that they've also lost a loved one. If we can assist to reduce active coronial cases in a proper and timely way whilst still respecting the needs of families and whānau then we can do this by supporting this bill through its first reading and through to select committee. With that we commend this bill to the House."