Justice Minister Phil Goff says he supports proposals to appoint a chief coroner and establish a national database for coroners.
But he is less sure about a proposal to give families the right to apply to the High Court to challenge a coroner's decision to conduct an autopsy or inquest on a relative.
The proposals have been recommended by the Law Commission.
Mr Goff said a chief coroner would oversee the system, issue guidelines on the roles of coroners, act as a contact point for complaints and follow up coroners' recommendations.
"Virtually all courts and tribunals have a head of Bench to fulfil such functions," he told a coroners' conference in Wellington.
It would cost about $750,000 a year to run the office, which would include a kaiwhakahaere (coordinator) to advise on Maori cultural issues.
Mr Goff said a database would allow accurate coronial data and information to be collected, helping coroners perform their role and leading to a more systematic approach to findings.
It would also help researchers identify trends important for developing strategies for injury and death prevention.
A working party should be established to develop the proposal and establish exactly how much it would cost.
Mr Goff said he was less certain about a recommendation to allow the family of a deceased person to have the right to apply to the High Court to challenge a coroner's decision to conduct an post-mortem examination or inquest.
"While families may find post-mortems distressing, coroners often rely heavily on the post-mortem report, and the process, while privately distressing, will often be necessary in the public interest."
More consideration would be given to this issue and the question of whether suicide deaths should be subject to a compulsory inquest before final decisions were made.
But Mr Goff said the workload before Parliament meant that a new Coroners' Bill was not likely to be introduced to the House until early 2003.
- NZPA
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