Islamic funeral customs, janazah, burial and costs in New Zealand

Written by · 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.

Islamic practice asks for burial as soon as possible, ideally within 24 hours of death, and does not permit cremation. The body is washed (ghusl), wrapped in simple white cloth (kafan), prayed over in the communal janazah prayer and buried facing the qibla. In New Zealand the paperwork and the cemetery booking decide how quickly that can happen.

A Muslim funeral, or janazah, is the set of rites that prepare a Muslim for burial: washing, shrouding, communal prayer and burial. This is a general description of Islamic practice, drawn from a published reference summary, not a ruling for any one family, and your imam or mosque is the authority on what your family should do. What we can add from New Zealand sources is the practical side: the certificate that must exist before any burial, the cemeteries with Muslim burial areas, what councils charge for those areas and for weekend burials, and which costs have a published figure. We found no sourced price for a Muslim funeral as a whole, so we give none.

The core rites

A general reference summary of Islamic funeral practice (Wikipedia: Islamic funeral, which cites scholarly and religious sources) describes these parts:

That source does not cover embalming, so we make no claim about it. Community Law says embalming "isn't always necessary", for example where the body is to be buried within two or three days, and a funeral director can tell you what is required (Community Law: Funerals and tangihanga). Tell the director at the first call that you expect a prompt burial without embalming, if that is your wish, and ask what they can do.

What New Zealand law requires before burial

A body cannot be buried or cremated without a cause-of-death certificate or a coroner's authorisation (Burial and Cremation Act 1964, s46AA, New Zealand Legislation). For a burial this is usually the main brake on speed.

  1. A doctor or nurse practitioner certifies the cause of death. For an expected death at home, Health NZ says the call to the doctor can wait until morning (Health NZ: Dying at home). A funeral director normally organises the certificate.
  2. If the death goes to the coroner, a post mortem is usually the next working day and can take two or three days. The body is usually released later that day. The Coroners Court says cultural and spiritual considerations are taken into account, so tell the coroner's staff early that burial is urgent (Coroners Court: What happens during a post mortem).
  3. The council books the plot. Community Law says to contact the council at least 24 hours before a burial, and payment must be made at once or Work and Income or ACC must confirm they will pay.
  4. Register the death within three working days after the burial. A funeral director does it for you. Registration is free and a death certificate costs $35 (Govt.nz: Registering a death).

Muslim burial areas and what councils charge

Fee pages we read on 20 October 2026 show these lines. Fees reset each 1 July, so check the current page.

Council Muslim area or line Fee Out-of-hours burial
Auckland, Manukau Memorial Gardens Muslim areas (Sections 17, 18, 18 extension), adult right $5,980, plus burial $1,410 Saturday $515, Sunday $1,235, public holiday $2,060, after 3.30pm $585
Auckland, Waikumete Muslim areas listed at $5,360, some marked sold out $5,360 Not listed separately; see the Manukau extras above
Wellington, Mākara "Muslim boards" $214 adult, $115 child After 3.15pm $251, public holiday $1,109
Christchurch "Muslim boards" listed as an additional fee (2026/27) $399 Saturday morning and public holidays $846; after 4pm Mon to Fri $362; under 8 working hours' notice $344

The pages do not explain the "boards" lines or say whether a Muslim section is available to book, so ask the council. Christchurch states that no interment is scheduled without the council's prior approval. The Wellington and Auckland pages print no fee year. The sources are Auckland Council, Wellington City Council and Christchurch City Council. Our council fee guides for Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch set out the full schedules.

What an Islamic funeral costs

We could not source a price for a Muslim funeral. These are the parts with a published figure.

Help with the cost

Work and Income's Funeral Grant has a maximum of $2,697.43 as at 1 April 2026, with income and asset tests, and the grant is not repaid if the criteria are met. Its guidance on reasonable expenses includes shrouds and cultural, spiritual or religious practices (Work and Income: Map, essential funeral expenses). Our funeral grant guide covers who qualifies. Families may also ask relatives and their mosque community for help; we have no figures on this.

Leave, support and who to call

Under the Holidays Act 2003, an employer deciding whether to grant one day of bereavement leave for a death outside the closest relatives must consider any cultural responsibilities the employee has in relation to the death (s69(3)). Our bereavement leave guide sets out the three-day and one-day rules.

For guidance on the rites, contact your local mosque or Islamic association, or the Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand (FIANZ). We have not published their contact details because we could not verify a funeral service line for them. For the practical steps, see who to notify after a death.

Paying for it in advance

Some families set money aside, or take out funeral cover, before they need it. Our guide to funeral insurance for Muslim families looks at that question, and the funeral insurance hub compares the products. For one example, 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 benefit of $3,000 to $30,000 towards costs. In the first 24 months it pays only for accidental death within 90 days of the accident, otherwise the premiums are refunded. Total premiums can exceed the benefit, and the benefit may not cover the whole funeral. Momentum Life Limited is rated B (Fair) by A.M. Best, in its "Vulnerable" range (Momentum Life: Financial Strength). The buttons on this page open Momentum Life's online application. QuoteHub is a Momentum Life partner, and Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver may receive a commission if you buy a policy.

Written on 20 October 2026. The rites are summarised from a general reference, not a New Zealand religious authority, and we have not had this page checked by an imam. Please confirm with your own.

Adviser's view

Islamic practice asks for burial as soon as possible and does not permit cremation, so the legal paperwork and the cemetery booking drive the timetable. Councils publish what their Muslim burial areas and weekend burials cost, but we found no sourced price for a Muslim funeral as a whole. Speak to your mosque or Islamic association and a funeral director experienced in Muslim burials on the first day.
, Financial Adviser (FSP1010699). General information, not personalised financial advice.

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Cite this page QuoteHub NZ (2026). Islamic Funerals NZ: Janazah, Burial and Costs. www.quotehub.co.nz/guides/when-someone-dies/islamic-funerals-nz. Updated 2026-10-20.

References

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