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Funeral costs and financial support

Funeral costs
DIY funerals
Support paying the bill
The Funeral Trust 

The cost of a funeral organised through a funeral director will vary significantly depending on the elements you choose to include. There are also significant regional differences in associated council costs such as burial and cremation plots and interments.

The tables below sets out indicative costs for core elements of a funeral. When you are meeting with a funeral director:

  • Explain your needs and requirements and let them know of any budget restrictions.
  • Ask to see an estimate of costs and get advice on alternatives that might be available for each element, for example a cheaper casket, or flowers from your garden.
  • If you are pre-planning a funeral, ask if there are options in your area such as pre-purchasing a burial or ash plot. This avoids future council price-rises.

If you are shopping around for a funeral price, ask for a detailed breakdown of services so you can check you are comparing like with like. For example:

  • If considering a no-service cremation can you still view your loved one or say a few words of goodbye?
  • Will a budget cremation brand do the paperwork for you?
  • Does the quote include council cremation / burial costs?
  • Is the quote GST inclusive?

Funeral costs

The ranges shown are indicative as at July 2024 and will vary per funeral director.

Shaded costs are external to the funeral director but are usually paid by them and passed on to you as part of the total bill for your convenience. Funeral directors may ask for an upfront deposit which helps them cover these external costs.

For a detailed estimate for your area use our request an estimate tool.

MAJOR COSTS

RANGE (GST incl)

NOTES

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES FEE
Covers the funeral director’s costs associated with transferring deceased and receiving instructions, making all necessary arrangements, preparation of documentation, registration of the death, paying disbursements and contribution to funeral home operating costs. Includes 24/7  access to funeral directors.

$3,000 - $6,500

Will vary significantly based on:

  • Type of funeral
  • Part of the country

May be less than the lower end of range in the case of a no-service cremation.

PREPARATION
Hygienic preparation of the deceased eg embalming

$700 - $1,050

Sometimes included in professional services fee.
May be higher than the top end of the range if embalming after a post mortem or significant reconstruction is required.

BURIALS
Plot cost plus interment

$1,000 - $8,000

Figures quoted are council burial costs from 2024. Varies significantly based on part of the country.
Burial in private cemeteries and urupa may be a much smaller fee (but may not be available to the general public)

CREMATIONS
Cremation fee

$600 - $1,100

Figures quoted are council cremation costs. Varies around the country.

ASH BURIAL
Plot cost plus interment

$200 - $3,000

Figures quoted are council ash burial costs. Varies around the country.

CASKET
Wide variety available including MDF or solid wood caskets, wool, wicker, shrouds etc.

$1,200 – $5,000

Lower price ‘cremation’ caskets may be available.
May be higher than the top end of the range if choosing a high-end casket e.g., metal Batesville caskets with a split lid which will cost many thousands more.

 

OTHER FUNERAL COSTS 

Chapel hire

$200 - $500

Hearse hire

$200 - $450

Celebrant / clergy

$300 - $900

Flowers

$200 - $500

Live-streaming

$200 - $500

Pictorial tribute / slide show

$300 - $500

Ashes urn

$50 - $500

Death certificate

$40

Doctors fee (cremations only)

$100 - $400

Medical referee (cremations only)

$100 - $120

Newspaper notices

$150 - $500+

Service sheets

$2 - $3 per sheet

Catering

$15 - $25 per head

 

DIY funerals

As the tables above highlight, many of the costs associated with a funeral apply even if you are arranging a funeral yourself.

The DIY funerals website offers information on how to plan a DIY funeral. However even this website acknowledges there are significant demands and responsibilities in organising a funeral yourself and that families need to be courageous in facing the unpleasant reality of dealing with a dead body.

If cost is the main reason you are thinking about a DIY funeral, talk to your funeral director about affordable options they might be able to provide.

Support paying the bill

Funerals can be paid by the estate of the deceased, a pre-paid funeral plan or by the person organising and authorising the funeral (often with the support of extended whanau and family).

The Government provides grants to assist with the cost of funerals in certain situations.

There may also be charitable support available through agencies such as the Salvation Army. Some families also seek support through GiveALittle (online donation) campaigns.

Māori may be able to get a grant for tangihanga from their iwi organisation, or seek tangihanga funding from Māori land trusts or organisations in which they (or the deceased) have an interest. Your local marae or Māori church or Te Puni Kōkiri can help with finding other possible sources of support.

For budgeting support, you can contact the MoneyTalks Helpline, a free service provided by FinCap, designed to connect individuals and families with local financial mentoring services.

If someone dies with no money and no next of kin (dying ‘indigent’), local councils may waive or reduce their cremation or burial fee.

For other support, you can contact Citizens Advice Bureau NZ (CAB) who can help with multiple tasks you may need to navigate when someone dies for example; family relationship issues, wills and probate, and costs associated with death and dying.

The Funeral Trust

The Funeral Trust is offered by the Funeral Directors Association.

A Funeral Trust Plan allows you to set money aside, in trust, for your final farewell or for that of a loved one.

Your contributions will be held on trust by the Trustee until they are needed, in accordance with the terms of The Funeral Trust’s Trust Deed. This reduces money worries for families and avoids them having to go through any legal requirements to access money from an estate to pay for the funeral.

As a recognised funeral plan contributions up to $10,000 are currently exempt from asset testing when assessing eligibility for a subsidy for long-term residential care.