What to do when someone dies at home in New Zealand

Written by Henry Smith · Reviewed by Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931) · Updated 2026-10-20 · Reviewed annually, or sooner if the rules it describes change.

If someone dies at home in New Zealand and the death was unexpected, call 111 and ask for an ambulance and police. If the death was expected, you do not need an ambulance or the police: contact the person's doctor or other healthcare provider so they can complete a death certificate, and tell your funeral director. Both calls can wait until the morning if the person died overnight (govt.nz: What to do when someone dies; Health NZ: Dying at home).

Whether a death was expected decides almost everything that follows. An expected death, for example someone with a terminal illness being cared for at home, is usually confirmed by their own doctor or nurse practitioner. An unexpected death is reported to the police and a coroner, who decides whether to investigate. In both cases the body cannot be buried or cremated until a cause-of-death certificate or a coroner's authorisation exists. This guide takes you through the order of events and what each step involves, as at 20 October 2026.

Expected or unexpected: what changes

Sources: govt.nz, Health NZ and the Coroners Court, read on 20 October 2026.

The steps, in order

1. Take your time. Health NZ is direct about this: there is no rush to do anything immediately, and you may wish to spend time with the person. It is helpful to note the time of death. If you do not want to be alone, ask whānau or a friend to join you.
2. If the death was unexpected, call 111 and ask for an ambulance and police. If it was expected, you do not have to call either.
3. Contact the healthcare provider, for example the person's GP, to say the person has died so they can complete the death certificate. If the person died overnight and you are comfortable waiting, this can wait until the morning.
4. Tell your funeral director. This can also wait until morning. The funeral director will arrange with you to collect the tūpāpaku (body). Our guide to choosing a funeral director covers how to compare them.
5. Keep the room cool. Health NZ advises turning off room heaters and electric blankets, which matters particularly if you do not want the person embalmed.
6. Care for the person as your family wishes. It is not necessary to wash the body. You can sponge the skin and face and replace dentures if you wish; if that is not possible, put the dentures in a container and give them to the funeral director. It is often possible for the person to stay at home for a time so whānau and friends can say their goodbyes.
7. Let family and friends know, when you are ready, and accept help with small jobs.

Aotearoa has many cultures and faiths with their own traditions around death, and Health NZ says plainly that people should do things in their own time. Māori whānau caring for a loved one at home can get support from Te Ipu Aronui.

When the coroner is involved

A death must be reported to a coroner if it was accidental, involved violence, or the cause is not known. The coroner then decides whether to investigate, which can include ordering a post mortem (Community Law: Confirming and registering the death). The Coroners Court sets out what to expect:

• The post mortem is usually done the next working day, and sometimes takes up to 2 or 3 days.
• There is no cost to the family for a post mortem.
• The body is usually released later the same day, but it can take 2 or 3 days if the death was suspicious or the examination is complicated.
• The coroner takes cultural and spiritual considerations into account. If you want to see the person or stay near them at the mortuary, tell the duty coroner's office.
• You can ask for a free copy of the final post mortem report, which can take several months to arrive; you might not get one if it is part of a police investigation.

The Coroners Court publishes a "When somebody dies suddenly" guide in English, te reo Māori, Tongan, Samoan and Simplified and Traditional Chinese (Coroners Court: Information for families). Once the coroner releases the person, you can ask a funeral director to collect them and organise the funeral, or do it yourself. The Coroners Court suggests lining this up as early as you can.

The paperwork that follows

Three separate documents are easy to confuse, and our death certificate guide goes through them.

• The certificate of cause of death is completed by a doctor or nurse practitioner. Without it, or a coroner's authorisation, a body cannot lawfully be buried or cremated (Burial and Cremation Act 1964, section 46AA).
• Registration of the death with Births, Deaths and Marriages. If you use a funeral director they do this for you. If you arrange the funeral yourself, you must register within 3 working days of the burial or cremation, using the form "Notification of death for registration BDM 28". Registering is free (govt.nz: Registering a death). See also registering a death.
• The official death certificate, which costs a fee and is ordered once the death is registered.

If the person held a firearms licence, govt.nz says there is a specific process for safely and legally disposing of the firearms and related items, so look at that page early.

Who else needs to know, and what it costs

After the first day, the list grows: employers, banks, Inland Revenue, Work and Income, insurers and others. Our who to notify guide sets this out, and the government's Te Hokinga ā Wairua End of Life Service website walks through the first few days to several months. You may also be entitled to bereavement leave: see bereavement leave in NZ.

Money is usually the next worry. A funeral can cost many thousands of dollars; FDANZ's 2026 report puts a full cremation funeral with 50 guests at an average of $11,700 (FDANZ). Govt.nz says banks can release money from the person's account to pay for the funeral, without you being the executor and without waiting for probate. The Work and Income Funeral Grant is a maximum of $2,697.43 and is tested on income and assets (Work and Income); see our funeral grant guide and funeral costs hub.

Planning ahead for the cost

Funeral cover is one way people set money aside before a death. Momentum Life's Funeral Insurance, issued by Momentum Life Limited, is open to New Zealanders aged 40 to 75; the benefit is a fixed amount of $3,000 to $30,000 towards costs, chosen when the policy starts. The plan pages are Momentum funeral cover and our funeral insurance guide.

If a family member is considering it, these points matter most:

• Timing. In the first 24 months only an accidental death, within 90 days of the accident, is paid. Any other death in that window pays nothing, and the premiums for that person are refunded.
• Cost against benefit. This is not a savings plan. Depending on how long it is held, the premiums added up could exceed the benefit, and the benefit may fall short of the funeral bill.
• The insurer. A.M. Best rates Momentum Life Limited B (Fair), affirmed on 11 February 2026, which is in its "Vulnerable" range. Momentum's financial strength page gives its own disclosure.

A savings account is the other way to prepare, and some families do neither and rely on the estate or the grant. The buttons below the page lead to Momentum's products; they come last so that nobody reading in the first hours of a loss meets them first.

Compare your cover with a licensed NZ adviser · free, no obligation.

Cite this page QuoteHub NZ (2026). What to Do When Someone Dies at Home in NZ. www.quotehub.co.nz/guides/when-someone-dies/death-at-home-nz. Updated 2026-10-20.

References

• govt.nz: What to do when someone dies
• Health NZ: Dying at home
• Coroners Court: What happens during a post mortem
• Coroners Court: Information for families
• Community Law: Confirming and registering the death
• govt.nz: Registering a death
• Legislation.govt.nz: Burial and Cremation Act 1964
• FDANZ: 2026 Industry Trends Report
• Work and Income: Funeral Grant
• Momentum Life: Financial strength

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