After court

A coroner’s finding is a public document that can be accessed by members of the public (including the media).  

Find out how to get a copy of the coroner's finding: 
Findings & recommendations | Coroners Court(external link) 

The coroner’s finding may be sent to the media if:

• the media has requested a copy of the finding
• there is a need to make the public aware of a comment or recommendation that may help prevent future deaths.

If there is media interest related to death of your family member, you can choose whether or not to speak to media.

Find out more information about:

When there is media interest

After a case is finished, some information from the case file may be available.

A Coroners Court case file contains personal and sensitive information. You may not be able to access everything you request. What you can access may depend on the type of information you request and your relationship to person who died.

For example, the post-mortem report can be provided to family and whānau. Generally, it is not released to the media or members of the public. 

Media or members of the public can ask for:  

• coroner’s findings
• witness statements
• other reports from the investigation.  

You can find out about what information you can request on the Ministry of Justice website. 

Individual case files | Coroners Court(external link)