Tangihanga costs, bereavement leave and financial support 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.

There is no published national figure for what a tangihanga costs. The costs depend on how many manuhiri come, how many days the tangi runs, whether it is held on a marae, in a hall or at home, and whether the burial is at an urupā or a council cemetery. Financial help is the same as for any death: the Work and Income Funeral Grant (up to $2,697.43, income and asset tested), an ACC funeral grant for deaths from covered injuries (up to $8,236.40), and in some cases iwi or Māori land trust support. This page covers the money and the leave; what happens at a tangihanga has its own guide.

What a tangihanga is, and why the costs differ

A tangihanga is "the enduring Māori ceremony for mourning someone who has died" (Te Ara: Tangihanga). It often takes three days, traditionally on a marae, though it can be held in a hall or a private home. The body is usually prepared by an undertaker and displayed in an open coffin, and on the final day there is usually a service followed by burial at the urupā. Customs vary by iwi and hapū, so this page does not describe one correct way to hold a tangi; the marae committee, kaumātua and your funeral director know what applies to your whānau.

Funeral directors told the industry body FDANZ that for Māori whānau a viewing is almost always required, and that tangihanga are largely organised by the local marae (FDANZ 2026 Industry Trends Report, p20). That shapes the budget. Hosting visitors for several days adds food and venue costs, while some items on a typical funeral invoice, such as chapel hire, may not apply when the marae is the venue.

What does a tangihanga cost?

None of the sources we reviewed (Work and Income, ACC, Community Law, FDANZ and Te Ara) gives a typical tangihanga cost, so we do not print one. Online figures such as "$5,000 to $15,000" have no named source. What can be sourced are FDANZ's indicative ranges for individual funeral items, from its funeral costs page (indicative as at July 2025, and "vary per funeral director"):

Source: FDANZ: Funeral costs and financial support, retrieved 20 October 2026.

For scale, FDANZ's survey of member funeral homes put an attended cremation funeral for 50 people at a funeral home at an average of $11,700 (range $10,000 to $13,900), and the same with burial at $14,300 (range $12,800 to $17,000). That scenario is not a tangihanga, but it shows the general level. A funeral director in Whakatāne told FDANZ that most of its funerals were for low-income Māori families wanting simple care and transfer to the marae, averaging about $5,000, and that families could still be left with "several thousand dollars of debt" after a full Funeral Grant. That is one director's account, not a national figure.

A labelled example shows how catering scales. At the upper end of FDANZ's range ($25 a head), one meal for 100 people is $2,500; three meals a day over three days is nine meals, or $22,500 at the same rate if every person attended every meal. That is arithmetic, not a forecast, and it is why asking the marae committee what is expected is more reliable than any average.

What does an urupā plot cost?

FDANZ's range above ($1,000 to $8,000) covers burial at council cemeteries. We found no published urupā fee schedule. Many urupā are managed by the whānau, hapū or a trust, and whether anything is charged is for them to say. Ask the marae or urupā trustees early; our urupā guide covers what the sources say.

Can whānau gather kaimoana for a tangihanga?

Higher limits or different methods than the amateur fishing rules need written permission from tangata whenua. Where kaitiaki have been formally appointed for your rohe, you need written permission from one of them. Where none have been appointed, permission can come from the marae committee, the local rūnanga, a local Māori Committee or a Māori Trust Board. Keep the permission on hand to show fisheries officers: gathering without proper written permission can bring an infringement notice with a fine of up to $500 (Community Law: Tangihanga).

Koha

Te Aka Māori Dictionary defines koha as a "gift, present, offering, donation, contribution", and notes it especially refers to gifts that maintain social relationships and carry an expectation of reciprocity (Te Aka Māori Dictionary). That is the meaning; the expectations about how much, in what form and who gives vary by marae, iwi and occasion. We found no published guidance on koha amounts at a tangi, and Community Law's page on funeral and tangihanga costs does not mention koha, so we do not suggest a figure. If you are hosting, whānau decide what is shared and how koha is used. If you are attending, ask a kaumātua, a relative or the marae contact. Our koha guide goes further, and clothing questions are covered in what to wear to a funeral; for a tangi, ask the whānau, since custom varies.

What financial support is there?

Sources: Work and Income: Funeral Grant (page updated 24 June 2026); ACC: Financial support after a fatal injury; Community Law: Funeral and tangihanga costs; all retrieved 20 October 2026.

How the Funeral Grant works

The grant is for a partner, a parent or guardian, a child under 18, or a single person over 18 whose funeral you arrange, where the deceased normally lived in New Zealand. The income test applies only when the deceased was your partner or child. Assets count: if the deceased was not your partner or child, their assets are deducted from the expenses; if they were, the first $2,351.46 of your own assets is ignored and theirs count. A prepaid funeral account counts as an asset. The grant is the lesser of the maximum or the unmet balance, so it is not a promise that it will cover the rest, and other help can affect eligibility. Work and Income's guidance also treats tikanga costs for tangihanga as potentially reasonable expenses. If an ACC funeral grant is payable, the Funeral Grant is not, and it cannot top up costs left over after ACC pays. FDANZ's Official Information Act data show about 4,900 grants a year, with Māori making up 33% of claimants.

Is there an iwi tangihanga grant?

Community Law says Māori may be able to get a tangihanga grant from their iwi organisation, and may seek funding from Māori land trusts or organisations in which they or the deceased have an interest. It also suggests Te Puni Kōkiri, a local marae or a Māori church. We found no published national scheme, so each grant has its own rules, amounts and application process. We looked for a tūwharetoa tangihanga grant specifically: on 20 October 2026 the grants listed on the Ngāti Tūwharetoa Māori Trust Board's website (education, kaumātua medical and others) did not include one named for tangihanga, bereavement or funerals. Whether another Tūwharetoa body offers one is something to ask the Trust Board directly.

Bereavement leave for a tangihanga

Under the Holidays Act 2003 (ss63, 69 and 70), an employee who meets the Act's employment test (generally six months of current continuous employment) is entitled to 3 days' paid bereavement leave when a spouse or partner, parent, child, sibling, grandparent, grandchild or spouse's or partner's parent dies. For anyone else, it is 1 day if the employer accepts a bereavement has occurred, having regard to closeness, responsibility for arrangements and "any cultural responsibilities of the employee in relation to the death" (s69(3)). The Act does not name tangihanga. Employment New Zealand's worked example has an employee taking 2 days to attend a tangi, but tangihanga is not a listed test.

Practical points from Employment New Zealand:

• The days do not have to be consecutive and can be taken at any time and for any purpose relating to the bereavement.
• Your employer "cannot make you take bereavement leave as annual holidays".
• An employer "may agree to give you additional bereavement leave above the minimum entitlement". Annual leave or unpaid leave are the usual ways to cover a longer tangi.
• "The law is silent about proof of bereavement": tell your employer as soon as you can.

Tangihanga leave is not a separate entitlement. If the death is of a close relative on the three-day list and you meet the employment test, the leave is an entitlement, but a tangi of three days or more still leaves little margin once travel is counted. A different death in the same year gives its own leave. The Employment Leave Act, which replaces the Holidays Act, starts on 6 August 2028; this page describes the law as at 20 October 2026. Our bereavement leave guide has the full rules.

Can funeral insurance help with tangihanga costs?

Funeral insurance pays a fixed sum, not a service. Momentum Life's Funeral Insurance (issued by Momentum Life Limited, FSP472286) accepts New Zealanders aged 40 to 75 with no health questions and pays a benefit of $3,000 to $30,000 towards costs. Three limits matter: in the first 24 months it pays only for accidental death (death within 90 days of the accident), otherwise it refunds premiums and pays no benefit; the total premiums paid can end up larger than the benefit; and the benefit may not cover the whole funeral, particularly a multi-day tangi. Momentum cannot pay a benefit directly to a company, charity or other organisation, so a funeral director cannot be named as payee; it is paid to the policy owner or, if the owner has died, to a nominated beneficiary, then the executor of the owner's estate. Momentum Life is rated B (Fair) by A.M. Best; see its financial strength page before deciding. Cover for a tangi in particular has its own page, funeral insurance and tangihanga costs, and the plan is described on Momentum's Funeral Cover page. Funeral insurance only helps someone who took it out in advance, so it does not change what to do today. Our funeral insurance guide compares the options.

Where to start if a tangi is happening now

1. Talk to the marae committee, kaumātua and whānau about what is expected, and agree who is covering what.
2. Ask your funeral director for an itemised estimate. FDANZ members are bound by a code of ethics to be transparent about costs; non-members are not.
3. Ask your employer about leave as early as you can, and ask about travel help from Work and Income if you cannot afford to get there.
4. Apply for the Funeral Grant or the ACC funeral grant, and approach your iwi organisation. Work and Income says there is no time limit to apply for the grant.
5. If you are short, see what to do if you can't afford a funeral and the general funeral cost guide.

The legal steps after a death, such as registration and probate, run on their own timelines; our when someone dies hub and funeral costs pages cover them. If a coroner's post mortem is needed, the coroner must consider whether it would cause distress or offence on cultural grounds, and whānau can raise an objection (Community Law: Tangihanga).

The buttons on this page lead to Momentum's own online quote for Funeral Insurance and Quick Life, which is separate from anything you need to arrange now.

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.

Talk to a licensed adviser about funeral cover · free, no obligation.

Cite this page QuoteHub NZ (2026). Tangihanga Costs NZ: Leave, Koha and WINZ Support. www.quotehub.co.nz/guides/when-someone-dies/tangihanga-costs. Updated 2026-10-20.

References

• Te Ara: Tangihanga, death customs
• Community Law: Tangihanga
• Community Law: Funeral and tangihanga costs
• Work and Income: Funeral Grant
• ACC: Financial support after a fatal injury
• FDANZ: Funeral costs and financial support
• FDANZ: 2026 Industry Trends Report
• Employment New Zealand: Taking bereavement leave
• New Zealand Legislation: Holidays Act 2003
• Te Aka Māori Dictionary: koha
• Momentum Life: Financial strength

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