“If you find bones that you think may be human, leave the bones in place and tell the police,” an explainer from Coronial Services of NZ stated.
“The police will usually call in a forensic pathologist to find out if the bones are human and if they’re historic or recent.
“If the bones are found to be human, the police will report the death to the Coroner.
“Finding koiwi tangata [human remains] is of particular significance for Māori.
“Most accidental finds of historical human bones will be Māori.”
Once it’s known that the koiwi are historic, Heritage New Zealand will be contacted and will go to the scene and talk with local iwi and hapū, the explainer stated.
“Iwi will take kaitiaki [guardianship] of the koiwi.
“Iwi take this responsibility very seriously and will accord respect and dignity to all koiwi found in their rohe [iwi boundaries].”
Can you keep working if bones are found?
Work should be paused and bones left where they are if they’re suspected of being human remains.
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WorkSafe confirmed police will advise when work can resume.
A police spokeswoman confirmed the amount of time work will need to be paused can depend on a number of factors.
That includes the remains found, who owns the land (for example if it is Māori-owned), what sort of work site it is, and whether police are conducting further investigations on site.
Gary Hamilton-Irvine is a Hawke’s Bay-based reporter who covers a range of news topics including business, councils, breaking news and cyclone recovery. He formerly worked at News Corp Australia.
