Taupo to lose its only coroner

By LAURILEE McMICHAEL in Taupo
Taupo is to lose its coroner and she will not be replaced.

Morna McFarlane will officially resign from the coroner's position when her last inquest file is completed before Christmas.

She became only the second woman in New Zealand to be appointed a coroner when she took the job in March 1988.

The position covered the Taupo police district from the Desert Rd to Broadlands and from the Mohaka River to Atiamuri.

Coroners hold inquests into sudden deaths and Ms McFarlane's caseload averaged about 50 inquests a year.

But the make-up of those cases changed during her years in the role, she said.

At first there were many sudden infant deaths (cot deaths) but extensive research and education meant those were now rare.

Given Taupo's position at the crossroads of the North Island, car crashes were a large proportion of her cases, but she also held many inquests into suicides.

Ms McFarlane said a common suicide factor was unemployment and she came to realise that some people were simply better at coping with problems than others.

Debate over whether suicides should be publicised involved finding a difficult balance between family grief and community interest, she said.

While suicide was something the community and families should learn about and work to prevent, she felt it would be "inadvisable and callous" to print precise details about suicide methods.

Years of considering evidence from fatal car smashes, often with multiple deaths, meant Ms McFarlane knew only too well what happened to the human body when it met metal and tarmac at speed.

She also learnt the dramatic difference a seatbelt could make, the need to take a break when tired, the impact of driver inattention and the danger of distractions.

She praised the work of police and Victim Support, who she said did a wonderful, caring job in often tragic circumstances.

Ms McFarlane also works for Ngati Tuwharetoa at the Lake Taupo Forest Trust. Although they had been very supportive, the proportion of deaths needing a full inquest hearing and written decision had increased over the years.

That meant the coroner's role could no longer be fitted around a fulltime job and family commitments, she said.

Changes to the coronial system with a new Coroners Bill in the pipeline would eventually see a chief coroner and a standardised system through New Zealand, leading to fewer coroners with larger districts.

"I would have liked to have been part of the changes, but the whole process has taken too long."

The Taupo coroner's duties will now be filled by Te Kuiti coroner Wallace Bain, supported by Turangi and Taupo police and JPs.

Inquests will continue to be held in Taupo every two months.

Ms McFarlane is looking forward to spending more time with her three children and three grandchildren and devoting more time to outside interests.