Hipango HareteHARETE HIPANGO (National): It is a privilege to take a call on this bill which the National Party is supporting the Coroners (Coronial Cap) Amendment Bill. However the most important message that I can impress with the Minister is that justice delayed is justice denied. I remember being in the House speaking to the bill. It was back in May 2019 when Minister Little announced the appointment of eight relief coroners. That was in May 2019. And here we are in May 2022.It's been interesting listening to the debate—with it noted under the Coroners Act that there is a maximum capacity for 20 full-time coroners to be appointed yet there are only 17 to 18 who have been acting full time in the capacity—knowing the pressures not just on the coroner's court; not just on the coroners but most importantly on the grieving family members on the whānau.I also speak from having been a lawyer many years ago for a grieving mother who was a party at the inquest of a deceased baby. The burden of the grief of losing a child was immense but what added to that was the delay at that time in getting the matter heard before the court.So I heed the submissions debate from my colleague Mr Penk just in terms of the calibration of this whether it should just be capped from 20 to 22—bearing in mind the pressures and the demands that are already on the coronial court. So I've made reference that back in 2019 eight relief coroners part-time had been appointed. I did a little bit of research and was looking at some media commentary. That media commentary was dated August and September 2021 where the number of unresolved coroner's inquiries are expected to blow out—and that was at that time back in 2021. So it's worsened over that time to now. They're expected to blow out by 400 in the next three years despite the appointment of the eight new part-time coroners. So the burden and the pressure that's on the court is going to require innovation in addition to appointment of more coroners to the court.So the average time to close a coronial case increased 42 percent between 2018 and 2021 from 321 days to 455 days. Now cases needing an inquiry—so I talked about a coronial case where that's an initial investigation evidence is accumulated for a judge to be able to determine and make findings of fact as to the cause of death. Taking it further to an inquest is the actual hearing of evidence before a court where the parties themselves present their position to the court. So cases needing an inquiry take an average of 877 days and those going to an inquest—which is the hearing that I was talking about—take 1451 days; four years.So the point that I make and impress upon the Minister is: justice delayed is justice denied. Is the increase by a further two full-time to the maximum cap of 20 really going to address the pressure and the burden that's on the court on the coroners but on the families most importantly? So that's my point at the moment. It's wonderful that this is now being rushed through Parliament under urgency. But I implore of the Government: this is a matter that should've been brought to the House soon after 2019 knowing the evidence of the numbers and the pressures that are there to deal with matters in a more expedient appropriate manner. The National Party commends this bill to the House.Motion agreed to.Bill read a first time.