Funeral directors welcome Coroners Amendment Bill

1 August 2014

The Funeral Directors Association welcomes the Coroners Amendment Bill which was introduced to Parliament yesterday by the Government.

“This bill promises to make changes that are overdue in better supporting the role of coroners.

“The focus on improving public safety, reducing unnecessary reporting of deaths, and speeding up the process to make things easier on families will be welcomed.

“The Funeral Directors Association submitted on the targeted review of the Coroners Act 2006 and we are pleased to see that the Government has taken much of what we said into account.

“Improving the quality, consistency, and timeliness of coronial investigations is essential to helping to make things easier for families at what is the most stressful time they can go through.

“To our mind, this is the single most effective change proposed by this bill.

“Funeral directors also agree with the need to clarify the role of the coroner in making recommendations to prevent future deaths, and the relationship with relevant agencies that can contribute to evidence during investigations and help develop robust, workable recommendations.

“The proposal to improve and clarify the law on what details can be made public about a suicide are also most timely, especially in light of the influence that social media now plays in our everyday lives.

“The Funeral Directors Association will keenly watch the bill’s progress through the House and looks forward to making a formal submission to the select committee.”

The Funeral Directors Association of New Zealand (FDANZ) is an association of caring professionals who are committed to ensuring the families they serve receive high quality funeral services.www.funeralsnewzealand.co.nz

ENDS

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