The Law Commission will be hosting consultation sessions for the burial and cremation law review throughout New Zealand beginning on Tuesday, 12 November. Sessions will be held in Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Gisbourne, Hamilton, Napier, Nelson, Rotorua, Tauranga, Wellington and Whangarei. This is a great opportunity to meet with the review team and hear about the issues up for debate, such as how the funeral industry is regulated, how disputes over bodies are resolved, and how our cemeteries are managed.
Because the issues around burial and cremation have the potential to affect us all at some point in our lives, the Commission would like to encourage as much public discussion and submissions on the issues as possible. The Issues Paper, The Legal Framework for Burial & Cremation in New Zealand: A First Principles Review (IP34, 2013), provides background on existing law and the issues at hand. You can have your say through the online submission form and submission forms will also be available in hard copy at the consultations. We are also accepting submissions via email at burialreview@lawcom.govt.nz. The deadline for submissions is now Monday 20 January 2014.