Funeral songs for a mum or dad: ideas for NZ families
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.
Choose a parent's funeral songs by what they actually played, sang or hummed, then test every lyric against the room. Hymns and waiata suit some families, a pop song suits others. Below are a method, example titles with their writers, and what to tell the funeral director. The titles are our starting points, not a ranking of what New Zealand families choose.
A funeral for a mum or dad usually needs music for a few moments: when people arrive, during any photo tribute, and as the family leaves. How many pieces fit depends on the service, so ask the funeral director for the number before you build a playlist. The sections below start with a method for choosing, then give examples by relationship. For the wider picture of hymns, waiata and what each part of a service needs, see our guide to funeral songs and hymns in New Zealand. That page is about the tradition and the licensing; this one is about the person.
How do you choose funeral songs for a loved one?
FDANZ's advice is to listen to the music first "to make sure the words are appropriate" (FDANZ: Funeral and farewell choices). Build on that with a few questions to siblings and close family:
What did they play in the car, kitchen or shed?
What did they sing along to, or turn up?
Which song reminds you of them, even if it is not a "funeral song"?
Which songs would they have hated at their own funeral?
Whose voice did they love: a particular singer, a choir, a piper?
Write down every answer, then listen to each song all the way through with someone else in the room. Cut anything with words that do not fit: a love song to a lover when the person is your mother, or a lyric about an event that did not happen.
What are some songs for a mother?
These are example titles, with facts from each song's reference entry (links in the references). They are prompts for a family's own list.
Song
Written by
Notes
"Moon River"
Henry Mancini (music), Johnny Mercer (lyrics)
First performed by Audrey Hepburn in the 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany's; won an Academy Award
"You Raise Me Up"
Rolf Løvland (music), Brendan Graham (lyrics)
First recorded by Secret Garden with Brian Kennedy; Josh Groban recorded it in 2003
"Wind Beneath My Wings"
Jeff Silbar and Larry Henley
First recorded in 1982, by Kamahl
"What a Wonderful World"
Bob Thiele and George David Weiss
First recorded by Louis Armstrong in August 1967
None of these is about a mother by title, so decide whether the words say what you want said. A song a mother loved is a better choice than one that merely mentions mothers.
What are some songs for a father?
Song
Written by
Notes
"Slice of Heaven"
Dave Dobbyn, recorded with Herbs
Released in 1986 on the Footrot Flats soundtrack; No. 1 on the New Zealand singles chart for eight weeks
"Hallelujah"
Leonard Cohen
Released in 1984 on Various Positions; John Cale's 1991 version inspired Jeff Buckley's 1994 recording
"Danny Boy"
Lyrics by Frederic Weatherly (1910), set to the traditional "Londonderry Air" in 1913
A folk song with an Irish melody
"Slice of Heaven" is upbeat, which suits a service built around celebrating a life; see our guide to a wake or celebration of life. Wikipedia notes that several artists have recorded "Hallelujah", so pick the exact recording and read its words.
What about grandparents, or quieter music?
Gentle and reflective. A grandparent may have been raised on hymns such as "Abide with Me" or on the farewell song "Now Is the Hour"; where they come from is set out in our hymns and waiata guide (NZ Folk Song; NZHistory, archived copy).
Instrumental or acoustic. Any song can be played without words. Davis Funerals says it can arrange live music by organists or pipers (Davis Funerals).
Celebration. If the family wants an upbeat farewell, a song the parent loved to dance or sing to can close the service; see our guide to a wake or celebration of life.
How do you work with the funeral director and chapel?
Give a list early. Dils says extra time "can be helpful when there are lots of elements to a service such as photo tributes and service sheets" (Dils FAQs).
Ask how music is supplied. We found no NZ source on file formats or chapel equipment, so ask the funeral director what they need and how the music will be played.
Name the slots. Tell the director which song goes where: arrival, tribute, exit.
Match the slideshow. If a photo tribute has a song, check the length of the song against the slideshow.
Check the licence for recorded music. OneMusic's Funeral Services licence allows a funeral director to copy music into slideshows and programmes played at services and notes there is no fee for public performance of music during the service itself (OneMusic, archived copy of 22 September 2024). If the service is streamed, see our live streaming guide.
If the family is carrying the cost of a parent's funeral, see our guide to paying for a parent's funeral and the funeral costs hub. Funeral insurance for yourself or a parent pays a fixed benefit towards costs; total premiums can end up larger than the benefit, and with Momentum Life's Funeral Insurance only an accidental death is covered in the first 24 months, with premiums refunded for other deaths in that window. Saving is the other option. See the funeral insurance hub. The buttons below open Momentum Life's online application; QuoteHub is a Momentum Life partner and may earn a commission. Momentum Life Limited holds an A.M. Best financial strength rating of B (Fair), affirmed on 11 February 2026, which sits in A.M. Best's "Vulnerable" range (Momentum financial strength).
Adviser's view
The right song for a parent is usually the one they actually played or sang, not one from a list. Use the example titles here as a prompt only, check the words all the way through, and give the funeral director the list early.
Henry Smith, Financial Adviser (FSP1010699). General information, not personalised financial advice.
Cite this page QuoteHub NZ (2026). Funeral Songs for Mum or Dad NZ: Song Ideas. www.quotehub.co.nz/guides/when-someone-dies/funeral-songs-for-mum-or-dad-nz. Updated 2026-10-20.