01/10/2026
When someone deliberately conceals the remains of a person they have killed, the harm to that person’s whānau does not end with the crime.
Families can be left without the opportunity to bring their loved one home, to say goodbye, and to carry out the cultural and personal practices that are part of grieving. For Māori, the inability to return the tūpāpaku to whānau, whenua and tūrangawaewae can carry particular significance.
A Bill now before Parliament seeks to acknowledge families’ anguish by introducing provisions relating to non-disclosure at sentencing and parole. We support the need for legislation, but believe the test of this law should be whether it can make a material difference for victims and their whānau.
Drawing on international experience, our General Manager Strategy and Advocacy Dr Petrina Hargrave argues that Aotearoa should go further than acknowledging families’ pain. The law should create meaningful opportunities and incentives for disclosure throughout an offender’s sentence, when there may still be a better chance of recovering a victim’s remains.
Families deserve more than acknowledgement of their anguish. Where possible, they deserve every realistic opportunity to have their loved one returned to them.
Dr Hargrave’s new opinion piece in The Post explores lessons from overseas and what legislation focused on what matters most to bereaved families could look like:
OPINION: A new bill acknowledges families' pain when they can’t be reunited with their loved one’s remains. But is that enough?
