Headstone, gravestone and memorial plaque costs in NZ

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.

Headstone and plaque prices in New Zealand are set by individual monumental masons, and we found no published national price range, so we do not give one. What is published is smaller: council permit fees of $87 to $205 where we found them, and one Auckland funeral director's list that shows "monumental requirements" at $1,680 for a burial and $900 to $5,000 for ashes. A plot never includes the memorial.

A headstone, gravestone or memorial plaque is the marker placed on a grave or ash plot. It is a separate purchase from the burial plot, the interment and the funeral. Auckland Council's fee page lists "headstone or plaque" among the additional costs of a burial or cremation that are not in the council fees (Auckland Council: cemetery fees and charges). FDANZ says burial usually involves buying a memorial of some kind, such as a headstone, and that for many people the unveiling is an important part of grieving (FDANZ: burial or cremation). In the Māori practice described by Te Ara, the unveiling (hura kōhatu) usually takes place about a year after the death, so the cost often falls later than the funeral. Whether a headstone is part of the plan is for each family to decide.

What we could and could not source

Item	Published figure	Source and date
Mason prices for headstones, plaques and installation	None found	Prices are set by each mason
"Monumental requirements", burial (North Shore Memorial Park)	$1,680	Dils price list as at May 2026; the list does not define the term
"Monumental requirements", ashes	$900 to $5,000	Dils price list as at May 2026
Temporary grave marker	$100	Dils price list as at May 2026

We have not told you what a headstone costs, because we could not tie any national range to a named source. The Dils line is the only published figure we have for the memorial itself, and we do not know what is inside it. Treat it as a pointer that costs can be anything from hundreds to thousands of dollars, not as a price.

Council permit and plaque fees

Some councils charge a permit fee for placing a memorial. At Christchurch the monumental mason applies for the permit on the family's behalf.

Council	Item	Fee	Fee year
Christchurch	New headstone or plaque	$87	2026/27
Christchurch	Additional lettering; renovating work	$37.30; $49.50	2026/27
Dunedin	Monumental permit	$105.10	2026/27
Wellington	Monumental permit	$108	Page undated
Nelson	Plaque application review	$121	2026/27
Hamilton	Memorial permit, all other areas	$144	Page updated 5 July 2022
Auckland	Monumental permit	$205	Page undated
Tauranga	Permit included in the plot price	n/a	2026/27

Hamilton also sells a wall plaque for $500 and a plaque only for garden plots at $504 (same 2022 page). Fee years differ, so these are not a ranking. Sources: Christchurch, Dunedin, Wellington, Nelson, Hamilton, Auckland and Tauranga, read on 20 October 2026.

What cemetery rules can decide

Christchurch City Council's published rules show the kind of limits to expect. Check your own cemetery's rules, because other councils differ.

Only monumental masons or specialist tradespeople approved by the council's cemeteries coordinator may do the work.
The owner of the exclusive right of burial, or the immediate next of kin if there is no owner, approves a monument or added wording.
In an open cemetery the family arranges the headstone through a mason, who confirms the plot with the council and applies for the permit.
A monument must be granite, bronze or another non-ferrous metal, or a similar material approved beforehand. The council lists stainless steel, sandstone, marble, wood, fibreglass, ceramic, plastic and glass among prohibited materials.
Monuments, including headstones and plaques, must be built to NZS 4242:1995.
In closed and heritage-listed cemeteries a special permit is required.

(Christchurch City Council: headstones and monuments, read 20 October 2026.) The page does not give size limits, foundation requirements or a waiting period after burial, so ask. Natural burial areas can be stricter: Auckland's Waikumete natural burial area allows only temporary wooden markers.

Who pays, and what can help

The owner of the exclusive right of burial is responsible for repairs. For the cost itself:

Work and Income's Funeral Grant (up to $2,697.43) lists burial costs including plot and interment, but its page does not mention headstones or plaques, either way (Work and Income: Funeral Grant). Ask Work and Income before you assume.
ACC pays up to $8,236.40 towards funeral and memorial costs where the death resulted from a covered injury, and up to $10,000 in total in homicide cases (ACC: financial support after death). See the ACC funeral grant guide.
The estate. Funeral expenses can be paid from the estate; see paying funeral costs from an estate.

Questions to ask a mason

What is the total price for the stone, lettering, base and installation, with each as a line?
Which stone, what size, and does it meet the cemetery's rules? Who applies for the permit, and what does it cost?
How is lettering charged, and what does extra wording cost later?
When can it be installed after the burial, and how long will it take?
What happens if the cemetery asks for changes?
Is the quote in writing, and what is its expiry date?

Cremated remains can be kept in an urn instead; see urns in NZ. For the plot and interment costs that come before a headstone, see burial costs, Auckland council fees and the national funeral cost guide.

Planning ahead with funeral insurance

Because a headstone usually comes some time after the funeral, it is easy to leave out of the first budget. 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, let alone a memorial. Momentum Life's A.M. Best rating is B (Fair); see its financial strength page and our Funeral Cover page. 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). Advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). Back to funeral costs.

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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

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Adviser's view

A headstone is a separate purchase from the plot and the funeral, and its price depends on the mason, the stone and the cemetery's rules. We found no sourced national price range, so we give none. Ask two or three masons for a written quote that shows the permit and installation lines.

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

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Cite this page QuoteHub NZ (2026). Headstone Prices NZ: Permits, Rules and Costs. www.quotehub.co.nz/funeral-costs/headstones-nz. Updated 2026-10-20.

References

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