When Someone Dies
When a person dies in a hospital, rest home or at home after a period of illness, their family doctor or attending hospital doctor will provide a medical death certificate, which records the cause of death.
Once the doctor has been contacted and the certificate completed, we can take the deceased into our care.
If the death is unexpected, or the doctor is unable to ascertain the cause of death, it must be reported to the police.
In this situation, a Coroner's enquiry must be held. The deceased must be transferred for examination to determine the cause of death. This examination, called an autopsy or post-mortem examination, usually takes place out of the Gisborne area.
The police and Coroner will liaise with the family to explain their processes. We aim to work with the family to ensure delays are minimised and their needs are attended to.
Who do I contact?
If in any doubt over what to do next, give us a call - that's what we're here for.​
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There will be many people you need to notify following a death. Some of these need to be done straight away, such as the executor of the will, the solicitor, accountant and the bank. Many can be left until after the funeral, or when you feel ready to make these phone calls. We have included a helpful list in the back of this booklet.
In the days following the funeral you may find that tasks the deceased took care of have now fallen to you. For some people these tasks can seem difficult, sometimes overwhelming.
Your funeral director will ensure that WINZ are notified, so that any entitlements are dealt with automatically.
Some of the things that might need to be done are:
* changing bank account names and details
* updating details for utility companies such as power, gas and telephone
* contacting insurance companies
* writing thank you cards and letters to friends and family
These things will take several days and possibly several weeks to arrange, and some will require an original or certified copy of the Registrar's Death Certificate.
We Are Here For You
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06 867-9150
The Death Certificate
After the funeral, Evans Funeral Services electronically registers the death, and sends the medical death certificate to the Department of Health. Following this online registration, The Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages issues a Registrar's Death Certificate and posts it directly to us, usually within five working days. We forward the death certificate directly to you or to the solicitor who is dealing with the estate.
We are legally required to include certain information when registering a death. We obtain this information from you while making the funeral arrangements with you. It is important that this information is accurate as far as possible. We have included a list of the personal details required in the back of this booklet.
If the death has been referred to the Coroner, you will notice the words ‘subject to coroner’s findings’ in the cause of death section. This means that the official cause of death was not available at the time we registered the death. It is possible to update the death certificate once the Coroner has concluded his or her enquiries and ascertained the cause of death.
We are happy to provide certified copies of the death certificate to you. There is no charge for this service.