Grief support and bereavement services in 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.
If you need to talk to someone now, call or text 1737 at any time: it is free, and trained counsellors and peer support workers answer (1737). If you or someone else is in danger, call 111. For longer support after a death, the Grief Centre offers counselling and groups, Skylight Trust publishes guidance for families and children, Victim Support helps after a crime or traumatic death, and Sands supports parents who have lost a baby.
Phone numbers to keep close
These numbers come from each service's own website or from Health NZ, checked on 20 October 2026. Hours are given only where the source states them.
Service
Number
What it is for
Emergency
111
Immediate danger to you or someone else
1737
Call or text 1737
Free, confidential, 24/7 emotional support
Depression helpline
0800 111 757 or text 4202
24/7, as listed by Health NZ
Suicide Crisis Helpline
0508 828 865
Seven days a week, as listed by Health NZ
Youthline
0800 376 633 or text 234
Young people; calls and texts 24/7
What's Up
0800 942 8787
Helpline for children and teenagers (tamariki and rangatahi), as listed by Health NZ
Victim Support
0800 842 846
Free, 24/7, after crime or a traumatic event
Specialist grief and bereavement services
Grief Centre. Based in Birkenhead, Auckland, the Grief Centre offers grief counselling in person, online and over the phone, plus face-to-face and online support groups. Its website asks you to complete an online referral form and says a team member will contact you within two to three working days. Its freephone number is 0800 331 333. It says plainly that it is not a crisis service, and its page lists no fees, so ask about cost when you make contact. It says it supports every person regardless of financial circumstance, and that partial funding for grief and loss counselling is available for people with a wider Albany area address (Grief Centre).
Skylight Trust. Skylight publishes guides on loss and grief, including how to talk to children about death, bereavement at different ages and stages, and delayed grief. It also offers counselling, and its freephone number is 0800 299 100. Its site does not state the hours or cost of that line, so confirm both when you call (Skylight Trust).
Sands. A parent-run organisation for families who lose a baby during pregnancy, at birth or in infancy, for any gestation and any reason. Local groups can offer phone calls, meetings or one-to-one support, and there are private online groups for bereaved parents. The chairperson's number is 0508 726 372 (Sands New Zealand). Leave from work is a separate question; see miscarriage and stillbirth bereavement leave.
After a crime, a crash or a death at work
Victim Support describes itself as free, nationwide support for people affected by crime and traumatic events, available 24/7 on 0800 842 846. Its site lists homicide among the crimes it helps with, and road deaths and workplace deaths among the traumatic events, with a bereavement and grief section for families (Victim Support). It does not name suicide on its home page, so if that is your situation, start with 1737 or the Suicide Crisis Helpline above and ask them what is available near you.
Your GP, your employer and free online sessions
Health NZ advises speaking to a healthcare provider if grief feels overwhelming, lasts a long time, or leaves you feeling stuck (Health NZ: Grief and loss). Its help page also lists Tend, which offers free video mental wellbeing consultations for people aged 16 and over, with no referral needed, and notes that some wellbeing support at general practices is open only to enrolled patients (Health NZ: Where to get help). Ask your practice what it offers.
Many workplaces provide an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) with confidential counselling. What it covers differs by employer, and we found no national figure, so ask your manager or HR what yours includes.
Time off and the practical load
Grief and paperwork arrive together. Under the Holidays Act 2003 (section 70), eligible employees get three days' bereavement leave when a spouse, partner, parent, child, sibling, grandparent, grandchild or a spouse's or partner's parent dies, and one day for another person's death if the employer accepts the bereavement; see our bereavement leave guide. The practical tasks, from registering the death to telling banks, are in who to notify after a death, and you can take them in small pieces. If the cost of a funeral is adding to the strain, funeral costs and the cremation cost guide set out the sourced ranges and the grants that can help.
Helping someone else who is grieving
Health NZ suggests keeping routines as normal as possible, encouraging the person to stay connected with friends and family, answering their questions honestly, and being present and willing to listen without forcing a conversation. It also says to get help if you are worried.
What this page does not cover
This page lists services; it does not judge which one suits you, and it is not clinical advice. Phone numbers and opening arrangements change, so check the service's own site if a number does not connect. The Momentum Life buttons that appear below this guide are there for people planning ahead, and nothing on this page depends on them.
Adviser's view
Nobody has to work out grief alone, and the first call can be free: 1737 answers any time. Specialist services such as the Grief Centre, Skylight Trust, Victim Support and Sands each cover a different situation, so the useful step is matching your situation to one of them. Several do not publish their fees, so ask about cost when you first make contact.
Henry Smith, Financial Adviser (FSP1010699). General information, not personalised financial advice.