Prepaid funeral arrangements in Christchurch

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.

In Christchurch you can prepay a funeral through a national plan such as Now For Them, a trustee such as Public Trust, or a funeral home's own plan. The local part is the Christchurch City Council's cemetery fees and rules, which are separate from the funeral home's charges. A prepayment does not fix the price, so ask in writing what it covers.

Prepaying a funeral in Christchurch means setting money aside now for services you choose, to be paid to a funeral home when you die. The plans are national, so the same terms apply in Christchurch as anywhere else. Now For Them, run through funeral homes that belong to the Funeral Directors Association of New Zealand (FDANZ), pays no interest and says the prices you discuss with your funeral home are "not guaranteed or underwritten by the Company" (Now For Them terms, June 2026). One Christchurch funeral home's plan-ahead page says its estimates "are not fixed and are subject to inflation" (Simplicity Christchurch: Plan ahead). That is the central point of this page: you can prepay, but the number may not be the final bill. We do not list funeral homes here. For the national overview, see prepaid funerals.

What is local: Christchurch City Council

Christchurch City Council sets the cemetery charges for its burials, and a funeral director usually passes them on in the account. These are the council's fees as at 1 July 2026 (2026/27), including GST (Christchurch City Council: Cemetery fees).

Charge	Fee
Full-size burial plot	$2,071
Child plot	$978
Ash plot	$598
Adult interment, weekday	$1,389
Ash interment	$277
Saturday or public-holiday burial	$846
New headstone or plaque permit	$87
Green burial	$2,925, or actual cost if greater
Transfer of a right of burial	$80.80

A plot and a weekday adult interment together come to $3,460 (our sum). FDANZ's July 2025 figure for Christchurch was $3,356 (FDANZ, 2026 Industry Trends Report), so the 2026/27 total is about 3.1% higher by our arithmetic. Charges change each year, which is why a prepaid contract needs to say whether council charges are fixed or passed on as they stand at the time. The council says fees "must be paid in full prior to any burial", and it "does not offer any payment plans".

The council's fee list has no cremation charge, and FDANZ's council-cost table lists no council-run cremation service in Christchurch. One local funeral home's direct cremation plan names Canterbury and Harewood crematoria (Simplicity Christchurch: Plans and pricing). So a prepaid cremation depends on the crematorium fee your funeral home quotes, not a council charge. See prepaid cremation for the checks that apply.

Buying a plot ahead in Christchurch

Christchurch is one of the councils that lets you buy ahead. The council says "burial and ashes plots can be pre-purchased in most cemeteries", directly from the council or through your funeral director. Pre-purchase is open at the following:

Christchurch City: Avonhead Memorial, Belfast, Memorial Park and Ruru Lawn (full burial and ashes); Linwood and Sydenham (ashes only); and Yaldhurst (full burial, green burial and ashes).
Banks Peninsula: Duvauchelle, Kaituna, Little River and Wainui (full burial and ashes); Le Bons Bay and Pigeon Bay (full burial only).

The council says that when a burial right is purchased the land stays the council's, that all interments are in perpetuity, and that a certificate is sent to the family or funeral director once the plot is paid in full. A burial plot takes up to two casket burials and up to four ashes interments, and only one headstone or plaque is allowed per plot (Christchurch City Council: Plots). The page does not say how to reserve a plot, who can buy one, or whether a refund is possible, so phone the council's cemeteries team on 03 941 8646 or write to [email protected]. For other councils' rules see prepaid burial plots.

Water cremation in Christchurch

FDANZ says water cremation "is currently available in Christchurch", and Work and Income counts "cremation fees (including water cremation)" as a reasonable funeral expense (FDANZ: Burial or cremation; Work and Income). We found no consumer price for it. If it matters to you, ask whether a prepaid contract names the method and how a price difference would be handled. See water cremation.

Can a Christchurch plan move with you?

It depends on the plan:

Now For Them. You can change the nominated member funeral home by telling the plan company, and your estate can use any funeral home. If it uses a non-member firm, the balance is paid to the estate, which pays the invoice itself.
Public Trust. It is a trustee, not a funeral director, so the money is not tied to a Christchurch funeral home. Consumer NZ notes the money "isn't tagged to a specific funeral provider" (Consumer NZ).
A funeral home's own plan. Ask whether it can move to another city and what happens to your money if it cannot.

Questions to ask a Christchurch funeral home before you pay

Who holds the money, and is it on trust? In writing.
Is the price fixed, or an estimate that rises with inflation?
Are council cemetery charges included, and at today's rates or the rates at the time of death?
Which crematorium is used, and is its fee included?
What happens to leftover money and to a shortfall?
Can my family use another funeral home, or can I move the plan?
What happens to the plan if you close or sell? See what happens if a provider fails.

FDANZ's code binds only its member funeral homes to be transparent about costs. It says there is no central regulator of funeral homes and that the Commerce Commission can be approached about pricing (FDANZ, 2026 report). Ask for the quote in writing whoever you use.

Other ways to fund a funeral in Canterbury

After a death, the Work and Income Funeral Grant pays up to $2,697.43 where the person is a partner, parent or guardian, a child under 18, or a single adult whose funeral you arrange, subject to income and asset tests, and a prepaid funeral account counts as an asset (Work and Income: Funeral Grant, updated 24 June 2026). ACC pays up to $8,236.40 where a covered injury caused the death. Our Christchurch funeral costs and Christchurch council fees pages have local prices.

Funeral insurance is another way to plan ahead. Momentum Life's Funeral Insurance, issued by Momentum Life Limited, is open to New Zealanders aged 40 to 75 with no health questions, for benefits of $3,000 to $30,000. Cover for the first 24 months is limited to accidental death (within 90 days of the accident); any other death then pays no benefit and every premium is refunded. Together the premiums can end up larger 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. 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 the funeral insurance versus prepaid funeral comparison and the Momentum Life Funeral Cover page.

If you are planning ahead for your own funeral costs

Get a quote and apply online today

See your price in about a minute, then apply online with Momentum Life. Guaranteed acceptance, no health questions, no medical exams.

Life cover See your price Ages 18–65 · $50k–$300k Funeral cover See your price Ages 40–75 · $3k–$30k

Want more than $300k or have questions? Talk to an adviser

Life cover: Conditions you already have aren't covered for the first 2 years (premiums refunded instead). Suicide isn't covered for the first 2 years, and a few conditions can be excluded permanently.

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

Already have cover? Keep it. New cover won't pay for a condition you already have in its first 2 years.

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

The money side of prepaying in Christchurch is the same as anywhere in New Zealand, and the local part is the council's cemetery charges and a few city rules. A prepayment does not fix the price, so ask the funeral home in writing what it includes, what it leaves to the council, and what happens to the plan if you move.

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

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Cite this page QuoteHub NZ (2026). Prepaid Funerals Christchurch: What to Check. www.quotehub.co.nz/guides/when-someone-dies/prepaid-funerals-christchurch-nz. Updated 2026-10-20.