Planning a funeral wake or celebration of life in NZ

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.

A wake is the gathering of family and friends after a funeral service, and a celebration of life is a service or gathering built around remembering the person rather than mourning. In New Zealand both can be a cup of tea in a hall or a catered reception. FDANZ puts catering at $15 to $25 a head. A procession gets no special road rights.

New Zealand has no official definition of either word, and funeral directors use them loosely. FDANZ's own list of service elements treats the gathering as the "social function": "do you want a party, a polite cup of tea, or something in between?" (FDANZ: Funeral and farewell choices). Usually, a wake follows a funeral, often at the venue or a hall; a celebration of life is a service or event with a lighter tone, and it can also be held later. A tangihanga is a different thing. Te Ara describes it as a ceremony that "often takes three days" on a marae, not a gathering after a service (Te Ara, archived copy); our tangihanga costs guide covers its costs. For more on venue and catering prices, see funeral venue and catering costs.

Where can you hold a wake or celebration of life?

Dils lists the places a service can be held: "one of Dil's chapels, a local church, cemetery or crematorium chapel, community hall, sports venue or a family home", and says its team helps with capacity, accessibility, audiovisual and catering (Dils FAQs). Davis Funerals says it can organise refreshments through in-house caterers (Davis Funerals). A gathering at a hall, club or home can be simpler and cheaper than a chapel reception.

FDANZ notes that the order is flexible: a less formal service "might have people gathering for a cup of tea and a chat together at the beginning of the service rather than at the end".

If you want the gathering separate from the funeral altogether, our memorial service guide explains how a memorial after a burial or cremation works. For people who cannot attend, see funeral live streaming.

How much does a funeral wake cost?

We found no New Zealand source for an all-in "wake cost", so the figures below are the published parts. Add them up for your own numbers.

Item	Published figure	Source
Catering	$15 to $25 a head (indicative as at July 2025)	FDANZ financial matters
Chapel hire	$200 to $500	FDANZ financial matters
Dils catering	$15 to $19.45 a head, plus a venue fee of $512 to $795	Dils price list, May 2026
Service sheets	$2 to $3 each	FDANZ financial matters

A worked example: FDANZ's 2026 survey scenario is a funeral for 50 attendees. At $15 to $25 a head, catering for 50 comes to $750 to $1,250 before any venue fee, which comes to roughly $950 to $1,750 if you add a $200 to $500 chapel or hall hire. Those are our sums from FDANZ's ranges, not a quote. The catering lines sit inside the $11,700 average FDANZ gives for a full cremation funeral; see what a funeral costs and the funeral costs hub.

Can you keep the cost down?

Ask guests to bring a plate of food (our suggestion). Dils' own food ideas include sandwiches, finger food, batch-cooked dishes and baking, and remind hosts to check there are enough plates and cutlery and to ask about dietary needs (Dils: Four funeral food ideas, 8 November 2023).
Hold the gathering at a hall or home rather than a chapel.
Shorten the guest list for catered food.
Hold the celebration later, after a simpler direct cremation.

The Work and Income funeral grant can include reasonable costs such as venue and food, "including kai for a tangihanga", up to $2,697.43, and it is subject to income and asset tests; other cover, including a prepaid funeral account, can affect it (Work and Income: Funeral Grant, updated 24 June 2026). See our funeral grant guide. Our koha guide covers koha at a tangihanga.

What happens in a funeral procession?

A procession is the vehicles that follow the hearse to the cemetery or crematorium. FDANZ lists "Movement" and "whether you want a procession of some sort" among the choices for a service, and a hearse is an indicative $200 to $450 (FDANZ financial matters). Ask the funeral director who leads, which route is used and where mourners should park.

What are the road rules for a funeral procession?

We searched the full text of the Land Transport (Road User) Rule 2004, in the version as at 1 October 2026, for "funeral" and "procession" and found neither. So we found no special right of way for a procession in the Rule, and ordinary rules apply to every car (Road User Rule 2004). Four clauses matter most:

Red lights. While a steady red signal is displayed, a driver "must not enter the controlled area" (clause 3.2(5)). A red signal binds a funeral car as it does any other.
Following distance. A driver must not follow so closely that they cannot stop if the vehicle ahead stops suddenly, and clause 5.9(4) sets minimum following distances by speed, from 16 metres at 40 to 49 km/h.
Hazard lights. Direction indicators may be flashed together as a hazard warning only when the vehicle is stationary or slow moving, "and only to indicate a temporary hazard to traffic" (clause 8.6).
Headlights. In the hours of darkness a driver must use the headlamps (clause 8.3(3)).

Whether a particular convoy's use of hazard lights fits clause 8.6 is for the police and NZTA to say, and we do not offer a view. Tell drivers in the family cars to follow the usual rules and to follow the funeral director's lead.

How do you plan the day?

Agree the order with the celebrant, then food, speeches and an order of service. Printed service sheets can list hymns, readings, tributes and thanks, and for the music itself see our funeral songs and hymns guide.

Paying for the gathering

Funeral insurance pays a fixed benefit towards costs, so it is not a catering fund, and total premiums can end up larger than the benefit. With Momentum Life's Funeral Insurance, the first 24 months pay only for an accidental death and premiums are refunded for other deaths in that window. Saving is the other way to prepare. 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).

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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

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Adviser's view

Treat the gathering as a separate budget line, because food and venue are the costs families forget. A procession gets no special road privileges in the Road User Rule, so cars follow ordinary rules, and a simple afternoon tea can serve the purpose as well as a catered reception.

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

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Cite this page QuoteHub NZ (2026). Funeral Wake and Celebration of Life NZ: Guide. www.quotehub.co.nz/guides/when-someone-dies/funeral-wake-and-celebration-of-life-nz. Updated 2026-10-20.