Assurance by Chief Coroner that cultural needs will be met

9:01 am on 2 April 2011

The Chief Coroner faces the task of ensuring the many cultural needs of the families who lost loved ones in the Christchurch earthquake are met.

Judge Neil MacLean on Friday met about 60 family members, friends and representatives of those who died to discuss the possibility of a joint inquest and a common memorial site for the 12 people whose remains have not been identified.

Some of the missing people are from China, Japan and the Philippines and Judge MacLean says he wanted to reassure the families that their cultural needs were being taken into account.

He says, for example, the Japanese family wanted to have some kind of memento of their loved one to take away.

But at this stage, he says, they cannot with confidence provide them with that.