The Coroner is to look into death of a woman at a Far North addiction clinic.
The woman died in early July at the Iboga Clinic in Kaitaia run by GP Cornelius van Dorp and wife Anah van Dorp.
The clinic uses the herb-derived drug Ibogaine to help people withdraw from opiods, methamphetamine and other drugs. Ibogaine was approved as a prescription medicine in New Zealand in 2009, but its use is illegal in a number of countries including the United States.
Clinic trustee Peter Bruce understands the woman died after treatment for morphine addiction but that the cause is not clear.
He says the clinic has successfully treated dozens of people for addiction since it was set up two years ago, and the woman's death has shocked and upset the van Dorps who are now overseas.
The clinic's website says would-be patients must undergo heart and blood tests to make sure they are strong enough to receive treatment.
