Prepaying for cremation 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.

You can prepay a cremation in New Zealand, but we found no separate "prepaid cremation" product. The money goes into a general funeral plan (for example Now For Them), a trustee fund (for example Public Trust) or a funeral home's own arrangement. Prices are not fixed, and the price quoted for a direct cremation may not include the crematorium fee or the doctor's paperwork.

A direct cremation, also called an unattended or no-service cremation, is a cremation without a funeral service or attendees. FDANZ's 2026 report puts an unattended cremation at an average of $4,700, against $11,700 for a full cremation funeral (FDANZ, 2026 Industry Trends Report). Prepaying one is mostly a question of the contract: what the package covers, where the money is held, and who pays if the cost changes. Now For Them's terms, for example, say that the plan company "does not provide funerals", that the prices you discuss with your funeral home are "not guaranteed or underwritten by the Company", and that any wishes your funeral home records "do not form part of Now For Them" (Now For Them terms, June 2026). This page covers the cremation-specific checks. For costs, see direct cremation costs; for the general picture, see prepaid funerals.

The routes

Now For Them (FDANZ). You set up an account through a member funeral home, which helps you "determine how much money to set aside, based on the type of funeral you want". It pays no interest and currently charges no fees. The amount is yours to choose, with no minimum or maximum. The terms say any excess after the funeral is refunded to the estate.
Public Trust Prepaid Funeral Trust. A $285 set-up fee ($216 with a Public Trust Will and enduring powers of attorney) and a $137 closure fee, with interest added to the balance and a minimum contribution of $500 (Public Trust price list; brochure). On a cremation-only budget, fees of $422 would be a large share of the balance.
A funeral home's own plan. Terms differ. Ask whether the price is fixed or only an estimate, and whether the crematorium fee is part of it.

The Work and Income asset test for the residential care subsidy ignores "pre-paid funeral expenses for you and your partner of up to $10,000 each, if they're held in a recognised funeral plan" (Work and Income, updated 4 August 2026). A cremation-sized prepayment fits well inside that. A prepaid funeral account is counted as an asset for the Funeral Grant (Work and Income).

What a cremation price may leave out

Two published price lists show why one number is not enough. A North Shore funeral director's list, as at May 2026, shows a direct cremation professional fee of $3,030 for a cremation with no service or viewing, with the crematorium fee, documentation and casket priced separately. A Christchurch funeral home's "Dignified" plan, from $4,215, includes a basic casket, transport to the crematorium, the cremation fee and a death certificate (Dils price list, May 2026; Simplicity Christchurch: plans and pricing). They are not like for like, and we are not ranking them. The Simplicity page does not mention medical referee fees or doctor's certificates.

Item	Where it shows up	Figure we can source
Professional services fee	Always, in some form	FDANZ indicative range $3,000 to $6,500, possibly lower for a no-service cremation
Crematorium fee	May be inside or on top of the price	Council fees: Auckland $750, Tauranga $777, Wellington (Karori) $885, Nelson $1,120.80, Dunedin $1,182.20. FDANZ's indicative range is $600 to $1,100. Christchurch's council fee list has no cremation fee
Doctor's certificate and medical referee	Often billed as an extra	FDANZ indicative $100 to $400 for the doctor and $100 to $120 for the medical referee, for cremations only. One director lists medical documentation at $80 to $450
Casket	Basic casket may be included	FDANZ $1,200 to $5,000 for caskets generally; cheaper cremation caskets exist
Death certificate	Sometimes included	Government fee $35; FDANZ range lists $40
Chapel, celebrant, flowers, notices	Not in a direct cremation	Extra if you add a service or gathering

FDANZ ranges are "indicative as at July 2025" and "vary per funeral director"; council figures are from each council's fee page as at 20 October 2026, and Wellington's page prints no fee year (FDANZ: Financial matters; Health NZ: Cremation; govt.nz: Get a death certificate). Neither published example includes a service, so a family that wants a chapel, a celebrant or a later gathering should budget for it separately.

The paperwork a cremation needs

A cremation needs a cause-of-death certificate or coroner's order, Form A signed by the executor or a near relative, Form B (or the newer Form BA) from a doctor or nurse practitioner, and the medical referee's permission to cremate (Health NZ, page updated 22 July 2026). A funeral director normally handles this. The question for a prepaid contract is whether these fees and permits are fixed by the plan or billed as extra at the time. We could not find a published answer from the providers we read, so ask for it in writing.

Will the price change?

Council cremation fees are set each year. Nelson's are reviewed each 1 July, and Tauranga's are as at 1 July 2026. A prepaid contract can lock a funeral home's own fee and still pass a council increase on to the estate, so ask:

Is the crematorium fee included, and is it fixed?
Are the doctor's certificate and medical referee fee included?
Is the casket included, and what type?
What if my family wants a viewing, or a service later?
Is the price guaranteed, and who pays if it rises?
What happens to leftover money?

Water cremation is available in Christchurch, according to FDANZ, and Work and Income counts "cremation fees (including water cremation)" as a reasonable funeral expense (Work and Income: essential funeral expenses). We found no price for it, so ask whether your contract covers the method you want (FDANZ: Burial or cremation; our guide to water cremation).

Cancelling, moving and wishes

Now For Them lets you change your nominated funeral home by telling the plan company, and allows withdrawals before death only for permanent emigration or significant financial hardship, at the company's discretion. Public Trust charges a $137 fee for withdrawals for emigration or a transfer to another provider. For a funeral home's own plan, ask whether you can move it, and what the refund is.

A prepaid cremation does not bind your family. Community Law says pre-arranged wishes "aren't legally binding on the family, but it would be unusual for a family not to follow them", and that the executor makes the final decision (Community Law). Now For Them's terms require you to tell those likely to represent your estate that you hold an account. Put the plan in your will and tell your family where the paperwork is.

Prepaid cremation or funeral insurance?

A prepayment is your own money set aside, and it can sit comfortably inside the $10,000 care exemption. Funeral insurance pays a fixed benefit towards costs. Momentum Life's Funeral Insurance (issued by Momentum Life Limited) takes New Zealanders aged 40 to 75 without health questions and pays a benefit you choose, from $3,000 to $30,000. During the first 24 months it pays only for accidental death (within 90 days of the accident); for any other death then, nothing is paid and all premiums are refunded. All the premiums together can come to more than the benefit, and the benefit may not cover the whole funeral. Momentum's A.M. Best rating is B (Fair); see its financial strength page. Our comparison is in funeral insurance versus a prepaid funeral.

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 Momentum policy (how we are paid). Advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). See also cremation costs and unattended funerals.

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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

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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

Prepaying a cremation is cheaper to fund than a full funeral, but the headline price can leave out the crematorium fee, the doctor's and medical referee's paperwork and the casket. Get a written list of what is included, and ask who pays if the price changes.

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

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Cite this page QuoteHub NZ (2026). Prepaid Cremation NZ: Plans, Payments and Checks. www.quotehub.co.nz/guides/when-someone-dies/prepaid-cremation-nz. Updated 2026-10-20.

References

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