Sikh funeral customs, antim sanskar and cremation in New Zealand
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A Sikh funeral (antim sanskar) centres on cremation, which the Sikh Rehat Maryada says should happen "however young the deceased may be". The code describes bathing and clothing the body, an Ardas prayer, hymns, the Kirtan Sohila at the cremation and a reading of the Guru Granth Sahib that is completed on the tenth day.
The Sikh Rehat Maryada, "The Code of Sikh Conduct and Conventions", is the code published in English by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), and its funeral section is Article XIX (SGPC: Sikh Rehat Maryada, English, pages 46 to 48). It is the one named primary source for Sikh practice we could read in full, and this page relies on it. It describes the rites and the rules; it does not describe how a New Zealand family arranges them, and it does not give a cost. Families, gurdwaras and communities differ in how they follow the code, so check what your family and your gurdwara expect.
What the code says
The code sets out these points. The wording below is our paraphrase of the SGPC's English text.
| Stage | What Article XIX says |
|---|---|
| Near death | The body of a dying or dead person on a cot must not be taken off it and put on the floor; no lamp is lit beside it and no cow is given in donation. Only Gurbani should be recited, or "Waheguru, Waheguru" repeated, by the person's side |
| Grief | The survivors are urged to recite Gurbani or repeat "Waheguru" to induce a mood of resignation to God's will, rather than raising loud cries |
| Cremation | "However young the deceased may be, the body should be cremated"; where arrangements for cremation cannot be made, there should be no qualm about immersing the body in flowing water or disposing of it another way |
| Time | The code says no consideration is needed as to whether the cremation takes place by day or night |
| Preparing the body | The body is bathed and dressed in clean clothes. The Sikh symbols listed, the comb, kachha, karha and kirpan, are not taken off. An Ardas is offered before the body is taken away |
| At the cremation ground | Hymns of detachment are recited on the way. At the cremation ground an Ardas consigns the body to the fire. The son or another relative or friend sets fire to the pyre, while the congregation sits at a reasonable distance and listens to or sings kirtan. When the pyre is fully aflame, the Kirtan Sohila is recited and the Ardas offered |
| After the cremation | A reading of the Guru Granth Sahib is begun at home or in a gurdwara. After the six stanzas of Anand Sahib, the Ardas is offered and karah prashad distributed. The reading is to be completed on the tenth day, or another day agreed with the relatives. Kirtan may be held each night. The code says no funeral ceremony remains to be performed after the tenth day |
| Ashes | When the pyre has burnt out, the ashes and burnt bones are gathered and immersed in flowing water, or buried at that place and the ground levelled. Raising a monument at the place of cremation is taboo |
The code lists practices it regards as contrary to its approved form, including keeping an oil lamp lit for 360 days, ritual offerings of rice-flour or other balls for ten days, and ritual feeding in the dead person's name. It also names travelling to particular places to immerse bones. This page does not cover Hindu or Buddhist rites, which differ; our Hindu funerals guide covers a separate tradition. In the passage on preparing the body the code names four symbols, and we list only those it names.
How this fits New Zealand's cremation system
The code was written for a funeral pyre, and New Zealand cremation takes place in a crematorium. We found no source that explains how families adapt the rites in a crematorium, so we do not describe it. What we can source is the legal and practical frame.
- Documents. A cremation needs a cause-of-death certificate or a coroner's order, Form A signed by the executor or a near relative, a doctor's or nurse practitioner's certificate and the medical referee's permission (Health NZ: Cremation). We found no New Zealand rule on how quickly a cremation must follow a death, so ask the funeral director about timing.
- The casket and the body. Auckland Council requires cremation in a casket or in a shroud on a bearer, all combustible, and prohibits items including batteries, pacemakers, glass and PVC. A casket can be held up to 48 hours refrigerated (Auckland Council: How cremation works). Ask the funeral director and the crematorium about the symbols the code says to leave in place, since each crematorium has its own list of prohibited items.
- Witnessing. Auckland Council's council crematoria, Waikumete, North Shore and Manukau, list a fee of $360 for viewing the charging. The other councils' pages we read do not mention it, so we cannot say which crematoria allow family to attend that part. Ask the crematorium directly.
- Out of hours. Auckland charges $1,235 for a Sunday cremation and $2,060 on a public holiday; Dunedin charges $1,419.30 on a Saturday or public holiday. The code's indifference to the time of day is helpful here, because a weekday cremation costs less.
Ashes
The code says the ashes are gathered and immersed in flowing water or buried. In New Zealand, Auckland Council prohibits scattering ashes in waterways and oceans on land it manages, and FDANZ advises avoiding traditional Māori food-gathering grounds (Auckland Council: Scattering of ashes; FDANZ: Burial or cremation). Check the rules for the particular river or coast, and ask the land manager, before you plan an immersion. If the family wants the ashes taken overseas, FDANZ says ashes can travel as hand luggage with the right documents, and NZ Post does not accept ashes from the public (FDANZ: Repatriation). Our ashes page and scattering guide go further.
What it costs
We found no published price for a Sikh funeral, and the figures that circulate for one have no named source, so we have not used them. The sourced New Zealand figures are the Funeral Directors Association of New Zealand's 2026 averages: $11,700 for a full funeral with cremation and 50 attendees, and $4,700 for an unattended cremation (FDANZ 2026 Industry Trends Report). A service with kirtan and a gathering looks more like the first; a cremation with no service is the second. Council cremation fees for a weekday adult include Auckland $750, Wellington's Karori $885, Tauranga $777, Nelson $1,120.80 and Dunedin $1,182.20, and the FDANZ range is $600 to $1,100 (FDANZ: Financial matters). We found no sourced charge for a gurdwara's services; ask your gurdwara. See what a cremation costs and direct cremation for a no-service option.
Paying for it
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 cremation fees and food are among the reasonable expenses (Work and Income: Funeral Grant). Funeral insurance is a way to plan ahead. Momentum Life's Funeral Insurance, issued by Momentum Life Limited, accepts New Zealanders aged 40 to 75 with no health questions and pays a fixed $3,000 to $30,000 towards costs. In the first 24 months it pays only for accidental death within 90 days of the accident, premiums are refunded for any other death in that window, and total premiums can exceed the benefit. Momentum Life is rated B (Fair) by A.M. Best (financial strength). See the funeral insurance hub. 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).
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 below, with AI assistance. We read the SGPC code from the published PDF and have not had this page reviewed by a Sikh community member or gurdwara, and we welcome corrections through our contact page. Back to the when someone dies guide.
Adviser's view
The Sikh code is specific about the rites and permissive about the place, which suits New Zealand's crematorium system, but it was written for a funeral pyre, so how a crematorium service is arranged is a matter for the family, the gurdwara and the funeral director. We found no sourced Sikh-specific price, so the costs here are New Zealand's general cremation figures.
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Cite this page QuoteHub NZ (2026). Sikh Funeral Customs NZ: Antim Sanskar & Cremation. www.quotehub.co.nz/guides/when-someone-dies/sikh-funeral-customs-nz. Updated 2026-10-20.
References
- SGPC: Sikh Rehat Maryada, The Code of Sikh Conduct and Conventions, English version (PDF), Article XIX, pp 46 to 48
- Health NZ: Cremation
- Auckland Council: How cremation works
- Auckland Council: Cemetery fees and charges
- Auckland Council: Scattering of ashes
- FDANZ: Burial or cremation
- FDANZ: Repatriation
- FDANZ: Financial matters
- FDANZ: 2026 New Zealand Funeral Industry Trends Report (PDF)
- Work and Income: Funeral Grant
- Momentum Life: Financial strength
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