Funeral planning checklist and worksheet for New Zealand

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.

To plan a funeral in New Zealand you need to: get a death certified, choose a funeral director, decide burial or cremation, agree the service, get a written price, register the death and tell the right organisations. The funeral director can register the death for you; if you do it yourself it must be notified within 3 working days of the burial or cremation. This checklist follows that order, as at 20 October 2026.

Planning a funeral means two things: the decisions about the service itself, and the legal and administrative steps around it. The decisions are personal and can be written down in advance. The legal steps are the same for everyone: a doctor or nurse practitioner certifies the cause of death, the death is registered with Births, Deaths and Marriages, and the body is buried or cremated under the Burial and Cremation Act 1964. Registering is free; an official death certificate costs $35 (govt.nz). The executor named in a will has the legal power to decide, and without a will the power usually sits with the closest relative, who must take the views of immediate and wider whānau into account (Community Law: tangihanga). Use the sections below whether you are arranging a funeral now or recording your own wishes. Tick the boxes as you go, and print the page if it helps. It is general information, not legal advice.

Part 1: The first day

☐ If the death was unexpected, call 111 for ambulance and police. If it was expected, call the doctor (govt.nz).
☐ If an expected death happens at home, Health NZ says you do not need an ambulance or police. Contact the healthcare provider so they can complete a medical certificate, and tell the funeral director. Both can wait until morning, whānau can stay with the person, and you do not need to wash the body. Keep the room cool if you do not want embalming (Health NZ: dying at home).
☐ If the coroner is involved, a post mortem is usually done the next working day, sometimes after 2 to 3 days, and the body is usually released the same day. Whānau can object on cultural grounds (Coroners Court).
☐ Ask the funeral director to confirm what they will organise: they can handle the medical certificate and registration.
☐ Check for written wishes. Look in the will, with the lawyer, and among papers. Pre-arrangement instructions "aren't legally binding on the family, but it would be unusual for a family not to follow them" (Community Law).

Our death at home guide and funeral timeline go into more detail.

Part 2: The decisions

Decision	Options	Useful facts
Funeral director	Choose one, or two to compare	Joining FDANZ is not a legal requirement; only members are bound by its Code to be transparent about costs. See choosing a funeral director
Burial or cremation	Burial, cremation, natural burial	In 2025, 69% were cremated and 25% buried (FDANZ 2026 report). See burial or cremation
Type of service	Full funeral, private goodbye, unattended cremation, tangihanga	A celebrant or clergy was used at 76% of funerals; a casket at 64%; 64% chose a viewing
Celebrant or leader	Celebrant, minister, family	Celebrant or clergy typically $300 to $900 (FDANZ, July 2025)
Venue and catering	Funeral home chapel, church, marae, hall, home	Chapel hire $200 to $500; catering $15 to $25 a head
Notices, flowers, music, streaming	Optional	Newspaper notices $150 to $500 or more; live-streaming $200 to $500
Ashes or burial place	Plot, ash plot, scatter, keep	Council fees vary; see our council fee pages

Component ranges are from FDANZ: financial matters, read 20 October 2026, and vary by funeral director. For a cremation, the paperwork includes a cause-of-death certificate or coroner's order, Form A (signed by an executor or near relative and witnessed), a doctor's or nurse practitioner's Form B or the new Form BA, and the medical referee's permission (Health NZ: cremation); the funeral director normally arranges this. For a burial, contact the council at least 24 hours before to choose a plot (Community Law).

Part 3: The money

☐ Get a written, itemised estimate and "ask for a detailed breakdown of services so you can check you are comparing like with like" (FDANZ). FDANZ's 2025 survey averaged $11,700 for a full funeral with cremation, $14,300 with burial, and $4,700 for an unattended cremation.
☐ Ask about the deposit and when the balance is due. See funeral payment plans.
☐ Apply for help if the estate cannot pay: the Work and Income Funeral Grant (up to $2,697.43) and, if the death followed an accident, ACC (up to $8,236.40). See funeral costs when an estate has no money.
☐ Ask the bank about releasing money from the deceased's account for the funeral; no probate is needed for that (govt.nz).
☐ Keep every receipt: Work and Income asks for an itemised account.

Part 4: Paperwork and who to tell

☐ Register the death. Free. The funeral director does it; otherwise use form BDM 28 within 3 working days of the burial or cremation (govt.nz).
☐ Order death certificates after the funeral. $35 each, usually 1 to 2 weeks.
☐ Tell Work and Income, Inland Revenue, banks, insurers, super providers, NZTA and utilities. govt.nz lists them; myTrove is a free service that lets families notify participating organisations at once (myTrove). See who to notify.
☐ Locate the will and check probate. The fee is $275 (Ministry of Justice). See probate.
☐ Ask for bereavement leave. Employees who meet the Act's employment test get 3 days for a close family death, or 1 day for others if the employer accepts a bereavement (Holidays Act 2003, ss69 to 70).

Worksheet: record your own wishes

Copy this table into a document, fill it in and give it to your executor. Public Trust recommends also recording funeral details in your will (Public Trust brochure); see our preplanning guide.

Question	My answer
Burial or cremation? Where?
Funeral director I prefer
Service: celebrant, religion, venue
Music, readings, who speaks
Open or closed casket; viewing?
Flowers, donations to a charity instead
Who I want told first
Where my will and papers are
Who is my executor
How the funeral will be paid

We did not make a separate PDF; print this page or copy the tables.

Planning ahead: one way to fund it

Part of planning your own funeral is deciding how it gets paid for. Among the options, Momentum Life's Funeral Insurance (issued by Momentum Life Limited) takes New Zealanders aged 40 to 75 with no health questions and pays a fixed $3,000 to $30,000 towards costs. Anything other than accidental death in the first 24 months gets the premiums refunded instead of a benefit. Premiums can exceed the benefit, and the benefit may not cover the whole funeral. Momentum's A.M. Best rating is B (Fair) (financial strength). Saving or a prepaid plan are alternatives; see funeral insurance.

If you are planning ahead for your own funeral costs

Get a quote and apply online today

See your price in about a minute, then apply online with Momentum Life. Guaranteed acceptance, no health questions, no medical exams.

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

Want more than $300k or have questions? Talk to an adviser

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

Most of what a family has to do in the first week is short and specific: certify and register the death, choose burial or cremation, get a written price and tell the right organisations. The checklist below puts the New Zealand steps in order with the sourced fees and deadlines. Writing your own wishes down takes an hour and spares your family guessing, though it is not legally binding.

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

Talk to a licensed adviser about funeral cover · free, no obligation.

Cite this page QuoteHub NZ (2026). Funeral Planning Checklist NZ: Steps and Worksheet. www.quotehub.co.nz/guides/when-someone-dies/funeral-planning-guide-nz. Updated 2026-10-20.