CORONIAL REOPENING, TRANSPARENCY & REVIEW PANEL REFORM

On 2 August 2020, our family lost a loved one while he was in police custody. We entered the coronial process seeking clarity, accountability, and honest answers about the circumstances that led to his death. Instead, we discovered a system marked by silence, delay, and limited transparency. Key information was difficult to access, critical evidence was incomplete or disputed, and the pathway to a reopening was unclear and dependent on discretion rather than consistent standards.

Our family’s experience is not isolated. Across Aotearoa, many whānau who lose loved ones in sudden, unexpected, or police-related circumstances remain trapped in the same uncertainty — grieving without answers, and living with unresolved questions that could be clarified through a fair, timely, and transparent coronial process. When essential information is withheld or delayed, when evidence remains untested, and when decisions are made without full disclosure, families are left without closure and justice is left unfinished.

Systemic Pattern of Failure (Public Record Context)
Public oversight findings and Official Information Act material identify a recurring pattern in deaths occurring in Police custody in Aotearoa New Zealand that extends beyond delayed medical response. These findings document failures of duty of care, including inadequate monitoring, delayed recognition of medical distress, delayed escalation to emergency care when individuals became unresponsive, and inconsistencies between recorded custody checks and what occurred in practice. Oversight bodies have also identified concerns relating to custody-environment conditions, supervision, and information handover, all of which engage fundamental issues of human rights, dignity, and the lawful treatment of people deprived of their liberty.
These matters are not raised to draw conclusions about Stacey Owen-Waaka’s death, but to establish that the State’s failure to consistently uphold its duty of care in custody settings is a documented systemic issue on the public record, warranting careful coronial scrutiny, transparency, and accountability.

Public record context includes IPCA findings and information released under the Official Information Act (OIA) relating to deaths in Police custody.

Families should not have to fight for basic information about how their loved one died. They should not be left carrying the burden of uncertainty for years. Reform is necessary because unanswered questions prolong trauma, undermine trust, and prevent genuine accountability in cases where state agencies are involved.

This petition is not just about one family or one date. It is about ensuring that every death investigated by the coronial system is treated with the dignity, fairness, and transparency that whānau deserve. For the sake of those who have died in unreasonable circumstances — and for the families who continue to wait for truth — this system needs change. Reform is overdue, and the voices of affected families must finally be heard.