Burial and Cremation Act 1964, s 46AA-46CA

If a person has died after an illness, due to some other natural cause or through assisted dying, the doctor or nurse practitioner who has been caring for them will usually issue a “Certificate of Cause of Death”. The body can’t be buried, cremated or disposed of in any other way without this certificate, except when authorised by a coroner. This certificate isn’t the same as a Death Certificate – a Death Certificate is issued by Births, Deaths and Marriages after you’ve officially registered the death with them.

If the deceased had been ill, the doctor or nurse practitioner can’t issue the Certificate of Cause of Death unless they’re satisfied the death was a natural consequence of the illness.

Doctors and nurse practitioners usually can’t issue a Certificate of Cause of Death for an accidental death. Instead, they generally have to report the death to a coroner. An exception applies when a person aged over 70 dies after an accident. In these cases, the doctor or nurse can issue a certificate if:

• the accident resulted from physical problems linked to the person’s age,
• the death wasn’t suspicious or unusual, and
• the death wasn’t caused by someone else.

Once the doctor or nurse practitioner has issued the Certificate of Cause of Death, the deceased’s body can be released to the family, so that they can prepare for the funeral or tangihanga. The family can move the body to a funeral home or to their own home if they prefer.