Funeral costs and support after an infant or child dies

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.

We are sorry you are reading this. In New Zealand, a funeral for a baby or young child can cost far less than an adult's at some councils, and Work and Income's Funeral Grant can apply to a child under 18 and to a stillborn baby. Of six councils we checked, Auckland charges nothing for the cremation of a baby under 1 and Nelson makes an infant plot free, but not every council publishes a child rate.

Nothing here has to be decided today. A funeral director can look after your baby or child while you decide, and can explain the costs one line at a time. This page sets out what we could confirm from published sources, and where we could not find an answer. It is general information.

What the costs are

The main costs are the same as for any funeral: the funeral director's fee, the casket, and the cemetery or crematorium. What changes is that some of those fees are lower for a child.

Council (as published on 20 October 2026)	What it lists for a baby or child
Auckland Council	Cremation: baby under 1 $0; child 1 to 12 $410 (adult $750)
Nelson City Council, 2026/27	Infant: plot free, burial $400. Child: plot $1,807, burial $827 (adult plot $3,315, burial $1,445). Cremation: child $898.20
Dunedin City Council, 2026/27	Under 10: burial right $1,440.10, interment $1,395.80 (adult $2,863.40 and $2,061.10). Cremation under 10: $209.40
Wellington City Council	Muslim boards: child $115 (adult $214). No other child rates found
Christchurch City Council, 2026/27	Lists adult (7 and over) interment at $1,389; we found no infant rate, so ask
Tauranga City Council, 2026/27	We found no child or infant rate, so ask

This is not a national directory. We read six councils' published pages, and there are many more. If your council is not here, ask it what it charges for an infant or child, and whether any fee is waived.

On the funeral director's side, one published price list, from Dils in Auckland (May 2026), shows a professional fee for an infant or child of $800 to $4,770 (Dils price list). That is one director's range, not a national figure, and it does not say what drives the range. Other directors may charge differently, so ask for an itemised quote. Our funeral director fees guide explains the lines.

The Work and Income Funeral Grant

The Funeral Grant pays up to $2,697.43 towards reasonable funeral expenses, is not taxed and is not repaid if the criteria are met (Work and Income: Funeral Grant). For a child:

It is available if the person who died was your child under 18 and normally lived in New Zealand.
A baby who is stillborn counts if the baby weighed 400 g or more, or was born after the 20th week of pregnancy. Either one is enough. A baby born alive who then died also counts, whether or not the pregnancy lasted more than 20 weeks (Work and Income: Deceased child).
Your annual income before tax must be under a limit that depends on your situation: $33,518.68 if you are single and 16 or 17, $38,522.12 if single and 18 or over, $55,954.08 if you are in a relationship, $46,745.92 if single with one other child, and $49,248.68 if single with two or more other children.
Assets are looked at, but the first $2,351.46 of your assets is ignored. The family home, family car, caravan or boat, furniture and possessions are not counted where the person who died was a child. Cash assets, including life insurance proceeds, are.
There is no time limit to apply.
No grant is paid if an ACC funeral grant is payable.

Whether a grant is paid depends on your circumstances and Work and Income's decision, so ask before you assume. If your child was included in your main benefit, tell Work and Income, since the benefit may need reviewing. If the parents are separated, Work and Income does not need asset and income details for the estranged other parent. The full rules are in our Funeral Grant guide.

If the loss was caused by an injury, ACC's funeral grant is up to $8,236.40 (ACC). Work and Income can also help with the cost of travelling to a funeral if you cannot afford it, through an Advance Payment of Benefit if you get a benefit or a Recoverable Assistance Payment if not, and it may be repaid (Work and Income: Bereavement).

If the death was sudden

If your child's death is referred to a coroner, there is no cost to the family if a post mortem is carried out (Coronial Services: What happens during a post mortem). Whānau can object to a post mortem on cultural grounds and the coroner must consider the distress or offence (Community Law: Tangihanga). The Coroners Court publishes the booklet "When Somebody Dies Suddenly" in several languages, including te reo Māori, Tongan, Samoan and Chinese (Coroners Court: Information for families). Coronial Services can tell you when your child can be released to you. Release is usually later in the day of the post mortem, and can take 2 or 3 days in some cases.

Time off work

Under the Holidays Act, you can take 3 days of bereavement leave for the death of a child, and 3 days for a miscarriage or a stillbirth, either your own pregnancy ending or your partner's, as long as you meet the employment test of 6 months' continuous employment (or a regular-hours test) (Legislation: Holidays Act 2003). Here miscarriage means the first 20 weeks. See bereavement leave.

Support

Sands NZ is a voluntary, parent-run, non-profit organisation that supports families after the death of a baby at any stage, with local groups, phone support and one-to-one support (Sands NZ). Its site says its volunteers are not counsellors and do not give formal advice, and it lists local groups by region. Ask the hospital team or your doctor what other support is available where you live.

Questions to ask

What are the council's fees for an infant or child, and are any waived?
Can the funeral director itemise the fees, and is there a lower-cost option such as a simple cremation or burial?
Who registers the death or stillbirth, and what do you need? We could not find sourced detail on stillbirth registration, so ask the hospital or funeral director.
Will the funeral director and the council wait while a grant is assessed? A council expects payment at once, or evidence that Work and Income or ACC will pay.

For the broader picture, see who pays for a funeral, funeral costs in New Zealand and the cremation cost guide.

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Adviser's view

Several councils charge much less for a baby or young child, and Work and Income's Funeral Grant can apply to a child under 18 and a stillborn baby, but the amounts and rules differ by council and we found no single national list. Ask your funeral director to show each fee, and ask the council directly about its child and infant rates.

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

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Cite this page QuoteHub NZ (2026). Infant and Child Funeral Costs NZ: Help and Options. www.quotehub.co.nz/guides/when-someone-dies/funeral-costs-for-infants-and-children-nz. Updated 2026-10-20.