The coronial system is currently under pressure. Coroners are struggling to keep pace with the number of cases being accepted into the coronial jurisdiction, which has resulted in an increasing active caseload and an increase in the average time taken to conclude coronial investigations. There are several reasons for these increases. Firstly, an increasing proportion of deaths referred to the coroner are being accepted into jurisdiction, over half of which are ultimately found to be from natural causes. Many of these deaths do not need to be investigated by the coroner. The role of the coroner is to investigate deaths that are unnatural, including deaths that appear to be sudden, violent, or unexpected. Secondly, there have been periods in recent years when the coronial bench has not been operating at full capacity, due to vacancies. Most significantly, families and whānau who find themselves having to deal with the coronial system are experiencing significant distress from the increasing length of time they spend waiting to receive coronial findings, and I do want to acknowledge them.