Funeral transport and hearse 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.

Funeral transport in New Zealand is charged as several separate moves: the first transfer of the person from where they died, any move between towns, the hearse on the day, and sometimes a flight home or abroad. FDANZ's indicative range for a hearse is $200 to $450, and one Auckland director publishes a transfer fee of $470 and a hearse fee of $492 (FDANZ; Dils price list). Longer moves cost more, and we found no published per-kilometre rate.

A transfer is the move of the person from the place of death to the funeral director's care. A hearse is the vehicle that carries the casket on the day. The first sits near the start of an arrangement and the second near the end, and a quote can price them separately or fold them into a larger fee. This page explains the transport lines. For the director's own fee, see funeral director fees.

The published figures

Line	Figure	Source and date
Hearse, indicative range	$200 to $450	FDANZ, as at July 2025
Transfer	$470	Dils, Auckland, May 2026
Hearse	$492	Dils, May 2026
Weekend or public-holiday funeral	$760 to $1,530	Dils, May 2026
Professional fee, receive-in from another town	$3,610	Dils, May 2026
Professional fee, send-out to another town	$3,605	Dils, May 2026
Repatriation fee (arranging repatriation outside New Zealand)	$5,950 to $7,690	Dils, May 2026; the list does not say what is included

These are one director's prices and an association's ranges, GST inclusive, not a national tariff. The Dils receive-in and send-out lines are professional fees for handling a person who comes from or goes to another town. They are higher than its $3,030 direct-cremation fee, but we cannot split out how much of the difference is travel. We found no source for after-hours call-out fees, mileage limits or a charge per kilometre, so we do not give any. If a quote includes them, ask what distance and hours they cover.

When someone dies

At home. Health NZ says you do not need to call an ambulance or the police for an expected death at home. Contact the healthcare provider so they can complete a death certificate, and tell the funeral director. Both can wait until morning (Health NZ: Dying at home). Govt.nz says that for an unexpected death you should call 111 for an ambulance and police (Govt.nz: What to do when someone dies). Ask the funeral director when they will collect, and what the first transfer costs, so you are not surprised later.

When the coroner is involved. The Coronial Services page on post mortems says there is no cost to the family if a post mortem is carried out (Coronial Services: What happens during a post mortem). It does not say who pays for moving the person to the mortuary or onward to your funeral director, and neither does its information-for-families page. We therefore cannot confirm that the Crown pays for that transport. Ask your coronial case manager and your funeral director who is charging for each move before you agree to anything.

Moving between towns

If the funeral is in a different town from where the person died, the body is moved, and that move is a cost. Whānau arranging a tangihanga may need the body to go home or to a marae. FDANZ says that for Māori whānau a viewing is almost always required, with pressure to prepare the body quickly so that it can go home or to the marae. One Whakatāne director told FDANZ that most of its funerals are for low-income Māori families needing simple care and transfer to the marae, averaging about $5,000. That is one director's account, not a national figure (FDANZ 2026 Industry Trends Report). See tangihanga costs.

Repatriation and overseas

If someone dies overseas, the New Zealand embassy or MFAT can be contacted, and any costs must be paid by the family (Govt.nz: When someone dies overseas). FDANZ says repatriation must meet the rules of the sending and receiving countries and the airline, and can take longer than hoped. Ashes can travel as hand luggage with the right documents, and NZ Post does not accept ashes from the public (FDANZ: Repatriation). We found no sourced price for flights, embalming for travel or permits, so we give none.

Help with transport costs

Funeral Grant. Up to $2,697.43 as at 1 April 2026. Reasonable expenses include a hearse, and the grant can include moving a body to or from New Zealand, or an overseas funeral, if the person normally lived in New Zealand when they died (Work and Income: Funeral Grant). Income and asset tests apply. See the Funeral Grant guide.
ACC. Up to $8,236.40 where the death was caused by a covered injury, and it allows a funeral or memorial in New Zealand or overseas (ACC).
Veterans' Affairs. For eligible veterans, transport of the body within the locality is $877.26 and to another locality $1,754.53, as at 1 April 2026 (Veterans' Affairs: payment rates).
Travel for mourners. Work and Income may help you get to a funeral or tangi if you cannot afford it, through an Advance Payment of Benefit or a Recoverable Assistance Payment, and it may be repaid (Work and Income: Bereavement).

Questions to ask about transport

What does the quote charge for the first transfer, and from where?
Does the hearse fee cover the whole day, or a set distance?
Is there an extra charge for the weekend, after hours or a public holiday?
If the body travels to another town, is that a separate line or inside a fee?
Who pays if the coroner is involved?

See also who pays for a funeral and the funeral costs hub.

Paying ahead with insurance

This is for planning your own funeral. Funeral insurance cannot pay towards a death that has already happened. Momentum Life's Funeral Insurance pays a fixed benefit of $3,000 to $30,000 towards costs for New Zealanders aged 40 to 75, with acceptance guaranteed and no health questions. In the first 24 months it pays only for accidental death within 90 days of the accident; for any other death in that window it refunds the premiums. The total premiums you pay could exceed the benefit, and the benefit may not cover the whole funeral, particularly if a body has to travel far. Momentum Life Limited's A.M. Best rating is B (Fair), affirmed 11 February 2026 (Momentum: financial strength). Compare providers on the funeral insurance hub. The buttons on this page lead to Momentum's online quote.

If you are planning ahead for your own funeral costs

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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

Local transport is one of the smaller lines in a funeral bill, with a hearse indicatively $200 to $450 and one published transfer fee of $470. Larger numbers appear when a body moves between towns or countries, and public sources do not publish a distance or per-kilometre rate, so ask for the quote to show each move.

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

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Cite this page QuoteHub NZ (2026). Funeral Transport Cost NZ: Hearse and Transfer Fees. www.quotehub.co.nz/guides/when-someone-dies/funeral-transport-cost-nz. Updated 2026-10-20.