Funeral Directors Association calls out death care as an election issue

Funeral Directors Association calls out death care as an election issue

27 August 2026

The Funeral Directors Association of New Zealand says the systems New Zealand relies on when somebody dies haven’t kept up with the country we have become and is calling on the next Government to make changes to give families greater dignity, choice and security at death.

President Bradley Shaw, says that as New Zealand ages, and becomes more culturally diverse and as families navigate economic pressures, Government needs to support funerals as a part of how communities care for people through grief.

“Our research shows at nearly 80% of people say a funeral or tangihanga makes a positive difference to grief,” says Mr Shaw.

“But more than that, funerals and the work funeral directors do provides essential support to communities. We answer the phone in the middle of the night, we work alongside first responders, we care for people who die who don’t have anyone else to care for them, and we often quietly absorb costs to support our local families.”

Mr Shaw says the Association is calling on Government to support their work in three ways:

1. Make funeral support fit for today – for example by increasing the $10,000 pre-paid funeral asset exemption and substantially increasing the Work and Income Funeral Grant to reflect the real cost of a basic, dignified funeral.
2. Modernise New Zealand’s death-care laws, bringing the 1964 Act up-to-date to accommodate new methods such as water cremation, legislate family decision and dispute-resolution mechanisms and ensure all funeral providers clearly disclose costs.
3. Protect families through trusted funeral care, noting despite funeral directors working with families at the moment of greatest vulnerability there is no regulatory mechanism.

“We believe these are fixable problems but they are problems that must finally be addressed. We’re approaching a period of significantly higher numbers of deaths so maintaining resilient, trust local death-care services is becoming even more important,” says Mr Shaw.

“Election 2026 is an opportunity to make the systems around death fairer, more modern and more humane. Every New Zealander deserves dignity at death.”

Download our Election 2026 Manifesto

ENDS

MEDIA CONTACT:

Bradley Shaw
President | Funeral Directors Association
M | +64 27 971 4549 
E | president@funeraldirectors.co.nz