Pasifika funeral traditions, bereavement customs and costs 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.

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.

"Pasifika" is a collective word for people from many Pacific nations, and each has its own funeral customs. The sources we could read agree on a shared pattern: church at the centre of community life, obligations to an extended family, and burial more common than cremation. They do not describe any one rite in full, so ask the family's elders and minister.

New Zealand's Pacific communities include Samoan, Tongan, Cook Islands, Niuean and Fijian families, among others, and they differ in language, church, island and village. Treating them as one would be inaccurate, and this page does not. It is general information for someone who is arranging a funeral, attending one for a colleague or neighbour, or planning how a family will share the cost. It describes what we can source and says where we could not.

What the sources show about community and church

Te Ara, the government's encyclopedia, records that Samoan churches in New Zealand "took on the role of villages", and that in 2018 almost 75% of Samoan people living here professed a religious affiliation (Te Ara: Samoans, Life in New Zealand). For Tongans, Te Ara says "Tongans are likely to live close to their churches, which are their community centres" (Te Ara: Tongans, Life in New Zealand). For Cook Islanders, it says people "looked to their churches for welfare and guidance" and that the kopu tangata, the extended family, is very important (Te Ara: Cook Islanders, Settlement). For Fijians, it says religious networks, whether Christian, Hindu or Muslim, have helped sustain customs here, and that many indigenous Fijians have found it impossible to continue holding elaborate ceremonies in New Zealand, which it calls "labour intensive, time consuming and better suited to a village environment" (Te Ara: Fijians, Fijian culture in New Zealand). Te Ara's pages describe community life, not funerals, so these facts explain who a funeral involves rather than what happens at one.

Community	What we could source	Where to read more
Samoan	Family obligations called fa'alavelave are one of the values of the fa'asamoa; churches act as community centres	Samoan funeral customs and costs
Tongan	Helping the family pay for funerals, weddings and church donations is a measure of success	This page
Cook Islands	Extended family and church central; no sourced description of funeral steps	Cook Islands funerals
Fijian	Several faiths and two main communities, so rites differ; no sourced description of reguregu	Fijian funerals

Why family contributions matter

Te Ara explains that for Tongans, "essential measures of success are the ability to contribute to the extended family, and fulfilling community obligations", and that "if they do not help the family in paying for funerals, weddings and church donations, they are not regarded as successful". It describes Tongan families pooling resources and sending remittances, and receiving gifts of mats and ngatu (bark cloth) "items of great value in Tongan culture" in return. For Samoans, Te Ara lists fa'alavelave, "ceremonial and other family obligations", among the values of the fa'asamoa, and says money, prayers, food and support "circulate within families around the world" (Te Ara: Samoans, Culture and identity).

We found no New Zealand source that sets out how a Pasifika funeral's gifts are exchanged, what is expected of a guest, or what any of it costs, so we do not describe or price them. If you have been asked to contribute, ask a family member, not a website. Our Samoan guide looks at fa'alavelave in more detail.

Burial, cremation and what it means for cost

The Funeral Directors Association of New Zealand (FDANZ) says that for Māori, Pacific peoples and the growing number of Asian New Zealanders, "a more 'traditional' funeral or tangihanga remains the norm, with burial still most common". Pacific peoples had the highest burial rate in 2025, 70% in a council ground, and the lowest cremation rate, 21%, against 78% of Europeans cremated (FDANZ 2026 Industry Trends Report). Burial usually costs more. FDANZ's average for a full funeral with 50 attendees is $11,700 with cremation and $14,300 with burial, and a larger gathering than 50 people raises catering and venue costs. FDANZ's indicative catering range is $15 to $25 a head (FDANZ: Financial matters).

Council burial fees vary by city. For a weekday adult burial by a resident, Auckland's Manukau Memorial Gardens costs $6,770 for the right and the burial, and Christchurch $3,460 in 2026/27 (Auckland Council; Christchurch City Council). Te Ara noted that in 2013 two in three Samoan New Zealanders lived in the Auckland region, and one in three in the Manukau ward, so the Auckland figure is a useful benchmark for many families, though not for all.

A way to plan the budget across the family

Because a Pasifika funeral often involves many households, a shared plan helps. This is our suggestion, not a custom.

Ask the funeral director for a written estimate that lists every item.
List the costs outside the director's bill: venue or church hall, food for the gathering, travel and any costs in the islands.
Agree one person to keep the record, and one bank account for contributions.
Write down who has offered what, so that no one is asked twice.
Check what Work and Income may pay before you commit to costs (see below).

Help that is available

The Work and Income Funeral Grant has a maximum of $2,697.43 as at 1 April 2026. It is tested on income and assets, and prepaid funeral money counts as an asset. Its list of reasonable expenses includes director fees, burial fees, venue, food, flowers and clergy, and Work and Income's manual adds cultural, spiritual or religious practices (Work and Income: Funeral Grant; expense guidance). FDANZ reports that 15% of grant claimants are Pacific people, and that the Citizens Advice Bureau told it the grant's expense list did not allow for cultural differences in mourning. Ask Work and Income whether a specific cost counts before you rely on the grant, because the sources do not say whether gifts do.

Other help:

Travel. If a relative cannot afford to travel to a funeral, Work and Income may help with an Advance Payment of Benefit or a Recoverable Assistance Payment; see bereavement travel assistance.
Leave. The Holidays Act gives 3 days of bereavement leave for the close relatives it lists, and an employer deciding on other deaths must weigh the employee's "cultural responsibilities", so ask early (Holidays Act 2003, s69). See bereavement leave.
Sudden deaths. The Coroners Court publishes "When Somebody Dies Suddenly" in Te Reo Māori, Tongan, Samoan and Chinese, among other languages (Coroners Court: Information for families).
Your church. Te Ara describes churches as welfare and guidance centres, so a minister may know what support exists.

Funeral insurance for the family

Some families take out cover for a parent so the cost is shared in advance. Momentum Life's Funeral Insurance, issued by Momentum Life Limited, accepts New Zealanders aged 40 to 75 with no health questions, and an adult child can own a policy on a parent. It 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, and premiums are refunded for any other death in that period. Total premiums can end up larger than the benefit, and the benefit may not cover a whole funeral. Momentum Life is rated B (Fair) by A.M. Best (financial strength). Putting money aside is the alternative. The funeral insurance hub compares options, and the buttons on this page open Momentum's online quote. QuoteHub is a Momentum Life partner, and Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver may receive a commission (how we are paid).

For the cost of a tangihanga, see our tangihanga page; for the marker on a grave, see headstone costs.

Financial advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). This page is general information, not advice.

How we made this page

The QuoteHub Editorial Team wrote this page on 20 October 2026 from the sources listed below, with AI assistance. It has not been reviewed by a member of a Pacific community, and we have kept to what Te Ara, FDANZ and government agencies say. Corrections are welcome through our contact page. Back to the when someone dies guide.

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Adviser's view

The most useful thing a family can do is treat each community's customs as its own and ask the elders and the church minister what is expected, because the published sources describe the shared pattern (church, extended family, burial) better than they describe any one rite. Cost is shaped by the size of the gathering and by burial, so plan the budget across the family early rather than leaving it to one person.

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

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Cite this page QuoteHub NZ (2026). Pasifika Funeral Traditions NZ: Samoan, Tongan, Fijian. www.quotehub.co.nz/guides/when-someone-dies/pasifika-funerals-nz. Updated 2026-10-20.

References

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