WARNING: This story contains descriptions of child abuse and may be distressing to some readers.
In the hours after brutally beating and burning an innocen
Mike Mather17:36, May 24 2021
Alan Gibson
Coroner Wallace Bain, pictured during the 2017 inquest into the death of Moko Rangitoheriri in Rotorua.
He might never have had to administer CPR or pull a road crash victim out of a wrecked car, but Wallace Bain has surely saved as many lives as the hardest working firefighter or paramedic. In his 28-year career as a coroner, Bain has made numerous recommendations following his inquests that have led to the enactment of literally life-saving legislation and other changes. One of these was the lowering of alcohol content in RTDs, from levels as high as 13 per cent down to the currently maximum allowable level of 5 per cent.
Retired coroner Wallace Bain s new book speaks for the dead to protect the living
10 May, 2021 06:15 PM
4 minutes to read
Former Coroner Wallace Bain has written a book.
Not much gets to retired Rotorua coroner Wallace Bain, but when he saw his newborn twin grandsons sleeping side-by-side in pepi pods, he broke down crying. After 28 years of dealing with death - and in some of the most heartbreaking of circumstances - Bain has learned to keep his emotions in check.
One trick to keep himself together when delivering particularly sad findings was to raise his voice in the tricky parts.
Retired Rotorua Coroner Wallace Bain chats about his new book. Photo / Andrew Warner