Donate Body to Science
If your loved one has indicated in their will or last wishes that they would like their body to be donated to science, there are a few things to take into consideration.
If your loved one’s primary wish is to donate their organs, they wont be able to be embalmed properly for anatomical study.
The Donation Process
- Contact the medical school straight away to make arrangements.
- Complete a special consent form from the medical school.
- The body needs to be specially embalmed within 24 hours of death, which means the two medical schools in Otago and Auckland will only accept bodies from parts of New Zealand that are close to their medical schools.
There are two places in New Zealand that accept bodies
Auckland School of Medicine
Bequest Co-ordinator
Human Body Bequest Programme
Department of Anatomy and Medical Imaging
Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences
The University of Auckland
Private Bag 92019
Auckland 1142
Phone: 09 923 6703
Fax: 09 923 9500
Email: bodybequest@auckland.ac.nz
Otago School of Medical Science
The Bequest Administrator
Department of Anatomy
University of Otago P O Box 56
Dunedin 9054
Phone: 0800 580 500 or 03 479 7362
Fax: 04 479 7254
Email: anatomy@otago.ac.nz
Can you still hold a memorial service?
Because the donor’s body has to be specially embalmed very soon after death, it is not possible to hold a service with the body present. However, a memorial service can be held without the body being present.