What funeral directors in NZ publish on their price lists

Written by Henry Smith · Reviewed by Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931) · Updated 2026-10-20 · Reviewed quarterly, when the underlying data is restated.

Financial advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). QuoteHub is a trading name.

Funeral directors in New Zealand are not required by any law we found to publish a price list. Members of the Funeral Directors Association of New Zealand (FDANZ) are bound by its Standards and Code of Ethics to be transparent about costs, but FDANZ says only members are (FDANZ, 2026 Industry Trends Report). This page describes what the lists we have read contain. It does not rank firms.

A funeral price list is a document or web page in which a funeral director sets out its fees. Most split into a professional services fee, which pays for the director's work, and costs paid to others, such as council burial or cremation fees, the death certificate, notices and catering. FDANZ says the externally paid costs are usually paid by the director and passed on to the family, and that directors may ask for a deposit to cover them. FDANZ's own indicative range for the professional services fee is $3,000 to $6,500 (as at July 2025), and it says it may be lower for a no-service cremation. Three published examples show how differently firms present prices, which is why a headline figure from one list cannot be set against another without checking what each includes.

What the rules say

No central regulator. FDANZ says there is no central list or regulator of funeral homes. Joining FDANZ is not a legal requirement.
Members. FDANZ hears complaints only about its members. Its public complaints service is aimed at members' firms (FDANZ).
Non-members. FDANZ says the Commerce Commission can be approached about pricing.
Family still decides. The executor decides, otherwise the closest relative, and a director acts on their instructions (Community Law: funerals and tangihanga).

We did not find a rule that makes a non-member director give an itemised estimate before arrangements are made, so ask for one anyway.

Three published price lists, and how they are built

Source	Format	Date	What is in the headline	What is separate
Dils (North Shore, Auckland)	Itemised: professional fee options, then per-line charges	"As at May 2026"; all prices include GST and "may alter at anytime without notice"	Professional fee only: full service $5,955; direct cremation $3,030	Transfer $470, hearse $492, chapel $662, celebrant $590 to $705, caskets, crematorium and burial fees, documentation, certificates, catering
Simplicity Funerals (Christchurch)	Seven tiered plans, "from" prices	Page undated (footer 2026)	Plans from $4,215 to $10,000 including GST; "Dignified" includes the cremation fee, a basic casket and a death certificate	Flowers, notices and catering; "Your Way" priced on application
Value Cremations NZ	Regional price for a direct cremation	No date on the page (copyright line 2023 to 2026)	Paperwork, transport, the cremation with a coffin or burial shroud, ashes returned; $1,945 (Auckland) to $3,400 (Hawke's Bay)	External fees such as doctor's certificates; distance, after-hours collection or specific requirements may add cost

Sources: Dils, Simplicity Funerals Christchurch, Value Cremations NZ, each read on 20 October 2026. These three are examples, not a full market survey, and we do not list firms we have not read.

Why the headline numbers do not line up

Dils' $3,030 for a direct cremation is a professional fee; Simplicity's $4,215 includes the cremation fee, casket and certificate. Setting one against the other is not a like-for-like comparison. A firm that bundles everything in one plan price will look dearer than one that lists a low fee and adds the rest as line items, even if the final bills are close. The same is true in reverse.

Package pricing is easier to compare at a glance and less flexible. Itemised pricing is flexible and harder to total. Neither is wrong; the test is whether you can see the final figure before you agree. The real comparison is the total for a defined scenario. FDANZ asked member firms for typical prices against one scenario for its 2026 report: a cremation funeral for 50 people at a funeral home, with a mid-price casket, catering and a celebrant, averaged $11,700 (range $10,000 to $13,900), and the same with burial averaged $14,300. It says directors are reluctant to quote an "average".

How to ask for a comparable quote

Describe one scenario: burial or cremation, service or no service, viewing or none, the number of guests, the day of the week.
Ask for the professional services fee as a single line, and what it includes.
Ask for every third-party cost on separate lines, with the council or crematorium named. Council fees are published; examples are in Christchurch council fees.
Ask what is optional: embalming, a celebrant, flowers, notices, live-streaming.
Ask for the date the prices are valid to, and what can change them (after-hours work, distance).
Ask what deposit is needed and when the final account is due.
Keep the itemised account. Work and Income's Funeral Grant needs an itemised account (and a receipt and bank details if you paid) with the application (Work and Income: Funeral Grant).

What this page does not do

It does not rank firms or name a preferred one, and it does not show a table of every director. The Dils, Simplicity and Value Cremations lists are cited as published examples. Council fees, which are public, are covered on the funeral costs hub and in separate pages for each city. The costs of a no-service option are on direct cremation costs, and the national figures are on what a funeral costs in New Zealand. What a director does for the fee is in what does a funeral director do.

Help with the bill

The Funeral Grant pays up to $2,697.43 (page updated 24 June 2026), subject to income and asset tests, and prepaid funeral cover can affect eligibility. It is a small share of a full funeral: about 23% of FDANZ's $11,700 cremation scenario, our arithmetic. See the Funeral Grant guide.

Planning ahead with funeral insurance

Once a quote is in writing, some families weigh it against money they have set aside. Momentum Life's Funeral Insurance, issued by Momentum Life Limited, accepts New Zealanders aged 40 to 75 and pays a fixed benefit of $3,000 to $30,000 towards costs, with no health questions. For the first 24 months it pays only for accidental death (within 90 days of the accident); for any other death in that window, premiums are refunded. Total premiums can end up larger than the benefit, and the benefit may not cover the whole funeral. Momentum Life's A.M. Best rating is B (Fair); see its financial strength page. Other insurers have different entry ages and terms, set out in the funeral insurance hub. The buttons on this page open Momentum Life's online application. QuoteHub is a Momentum Life partner and may be paid a commission (how we are paid); see our Funeral Cover page. Advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931).

If you are planning ahead for your own funeral costs

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Life cover See your price Ages 18–65 · $50k–$300k Funeral cover See your price Ages 40–75 · $3k–$30k

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Life cover: Conditions you already have aren't covered for the first 2 years (premiums refunded instead). Suicide isn't covered for the first 2 years, and a few conditions can be excluded permanently.

Funeral cover: Only accidental death is covered for the first 2 years. Total premiums can add up to more than the cover, and it may not meet the whole cost of a funeral.

Insurer: Momentum Life Limited. Financial strength rating B (Fair) from AM Best, affirmed 11 February 2026; B ratings sit in AM Best's 'vulnerable' range. The rating scale is available for inspection at every Momentum Life office in New Zealand. What this means

Already have cover? Keep it. New cover won't pay for a condition you already have in its first 2 years.

Opens Momentum Life's online application; its guidance only covers eligibility. QuoteHub is a Momentum Life partner. Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver may receive a commission if you buy. General information, not advice.

Adviser's view

Published lists are a starting point, not a comparison. They are built in different ways, dated differently and often leave council and third-party costs out. Only members of the Funeral Directors Association are bound by its standards on cost transparency, so ask every firm for the same itemised quote in writing.

Henry Smith, Financial Adviser (FSP1010699). General information, not personalised financial advice.

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Cite this page QuoteHub NZ (2026). Funeral Director Price Lists NZ: What Is Published. www.quotehub.co.nz/funeral-costs/funeral-director-price-lists-nz. Updated 2026-10-20.