New Chief Coroner appointed

Coroner Anna Tutton has been appointed as the new Chief Coroner, Attorney-General David Parker announced today.

Anna Tutton was appointed as a Coroner in January 2015, based in Christchurch, and as Deputy Chief Coroner in 2020.

After the previous Chief Coroner, Judge Deborah Marshall, retired Ms Tutton took on the role of leading the Coronial bench in the interim period.

Prior to her appointment as a Coroner, she was manager of the legal team at New Zealand Police and acted as legal adviser to the police response to the Pike River mining disaster.

She has previously worked primarily in criminal law and legal training roles, including as a High Court Judges' clerk, Assistant Crown Counsel, Crown Prosecutor, senior counsel at the Commerce Commission and Deputy National Director of the Institute of Professional Legal Studies.

Coroner Tutton will assume her new role as Chief Coroner based in Wellington.