Wallace Bain retired in early 2020 after 28 distinguished years as a Coroner, most recently in Rotorua. During these years Mr Bain developed a national reputation for his sensitivity and compassion in dealing with difficult cases such as those of Nia Glassie and Moko Rangitoheriri. That a child is killed in New Zealand as a result of abuse every five weeks he finds “unacceptable”. He has also developed a reputation for being “a Coroner on the warpath” for his forthright demands from time to time that New Zealand’s laws and regulations be changed to protect ordinary citizens. His work as a Coroner, says Wallace Bain, has been to speak for the dead to take care of the living. “After climbing the mountain I can finally enjoy the view.”