There are concerns Northland funerals and tangihanga will be delayed by days if post-mortem examinations are transferred to Auckland. Photo / 123RF
There are concerns Northland funerals and tangihanga will be delayed by days if post-mortem examinations are transferred to Auckland. Photo / 123RF
Community leaders and funeral directors worry grieving families will pay the price if coronial post-mortem examinations are not provided in Whangārei in future.
But Health New Zealand said it recognises the need for mortuary and post-mortem services in the region, and is working on a long-term plan for them tocontinue.
Post-mortem examinations, also known as autopsies, are ordered by the coroner and usually performed when a death is sudden, suspicious or unexplained. One funeral director said up to a third of deaths this year had an autopsy.
The Kaipara Hapū Advisory Committee became concerned the contract would not be renewed, effectively ending the service and sending all Te Tai Tokerau autopsies to Auckland.
The group wrote to Health NZ interim chief executive Dr Dale Bramley saying such a move would be high-risk and add a considerable financial burden on grieving families in Northland, which has some of the highest deprivation in Aotearoa.
The move would interrupt Māori tikanga, remove employment pathways and impact rural Northland - including the Far North where post mortem examinations used to take place, chair Lye Sydney wrote.
“In short, centralising post-mortems in Auckland would compound existing inequities, impose avoidable financial hardship and erode the cultural safety Te Tai Tokerau communities fought hard to secure.”
Sydney called for an urgent hui so the options could be discussed and a long-term solution found.
In response, Health NZ Northland group director of operations Alex Pimm wrote back, saying a contract extension for 24 months is being finalised while longer-term arrangements are made.
Health NZ Te Tai Tokerau group director of operations Alex Pimm is reassuring the community that autopsies will stay in Whangārei. Photo / Denise Piper
He acknowledged concerns over cultural safety and tikanga, costs for bereaved whānau, equity and workforce resilience, saying maintaining a post-mortem service in Whangārei is part of the planning.
However, Pimm said work needs to be done to identify how to provide an “operationally and financially sustainable” service in Te Tai Tokerau, which is unusual in having a contract for the district on its own.
Most post-mortem examination contracts have combined areas, although services are still provided in provincial hospitals. For example, then-Auckland DHB and its partner Medlab Central provides services from Auckland City Hospital and Palmerston North Hospital.
But Eternal Tides Funeral Services co-owner Haami Tohu is concerned plans are being made at the cost of grieving families.
He is not assured post-mortem examinations will stay in Whangārei, until Health NZ fronts up to a hui and works with the community on a way forward.
Having the services moved to Auckland, a 300km round-trip away, will add a considerable financial and time burden on to grieving families, Tohu said.
Eternal Tides Funeral Services co-owner Haami Tohu fears the impact on grieving families if post-mortem examinations are moved to Auckland. Photo / Denise Piper
For Māori whānau in particular, tikanga states they should stay with their loved ones until the end, he said.
About a third of Eternal Tides’ customers this year have needed a post-mortem examination, taking about two to three days until the body is released, Tohu said.
But, with Auckland already being very busy, it could take four or five days if Northland’s cases are transferred there, he said.
“It’s a lot of unnecessary emotional pain and grief,” he said.
“It’s a lot of tears but nothing to cry over - they will have to sit there crying over a photo for the next three to four days when it should be their loved one.”
In a statement to the Northern Advocate, Pimm said he wanted to reassure the community that mortuary and coronial services will continue to be provided at Whangārei Hospital, contrary to speculation.
“We recognise the strength of feeling in the community relating to local mortuary and post-mortem services.
“Health NZ is committed to supporting the health and wellbeing needs of the Te Tai Tokerau community and this includes the ongoing delivery of mortuary and post-mortem services in the region.”
Denise Piper is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on health and business. She has more than 20 years in journalism and is passionate about covering stories that make a difference.
