Do you need a funeral director in NZ? Arranging a funeral yourself

No. New Zealand law does not require you to use a funeral director: a family can arrange a burial or cremation itself. The legal steps are a Certificate of Cause of Death from a doctor or nurse practitioner (or a coroner's order), the council's burial application or the crematorium's cremation forms, and registering the death with Births, Deaths and Marriages within three working days of the burial or cremation.

Is it legal to arrange a funeral without a funeral director in NZ?

Yes. Community Law's guide to funerals and tangihanga says families often hand the arrangements to a funeral director but "you don't have to do this", and that many families arrange the funeral themselves. Using a member of the Funeral Directors Association (FDANZ) is a good idea if you use anyone, but there is no legal requirement to.

What do you legally have to do yourself?

Three things, in this order. Get the Certificate of Cause of Death, or the coroner's Order for Disposal of Body if the death was reported to a coroner, because nobody may bury or cremate the body without one. Complete the council's or crematorium's forms and pay its fee (or show that Work and Income or ACC will pay it). Then register the death with Births, Deaths and Marriages no later than three working days after the burial or cremation.

• Certificate of Cause of Death: issued by the doctor or nurse practitioner who attended. If a coroner is involved, wait for the Order for Disposal of Body instead. What to do in the first hours covers who to call.
• Burial: the local council's burial application form, with a copy of the certificate. Community Law suggests contacting the council at least 24 hours before the burial to choose a plot; the sexton digs the grave.
• Cremation: the forms listed in the next section, signed off by the crematorium's medical referee.
• Registration: notify Births, Deaths and Marriages within three working days of the burial or cremation. Death certificates can be ordered once the death is registered: how to get a death certificate.

What forms do you need for a cremation in NZ?

Four, under the Cremation Regulations 1973, as set out in Community Law's cremation page. The Certificate of Cause of Death; an Application for Cremation (Form A), signed at the council or crematorium office when you pay; a Certificate of Medical Practitioner or Nurse Practitioner (Form B), completed by the doctor or nurse who saw the body after death; and Permission to Cremate (Form F), signed by the crematorium's medical referee.

All four go to the crematorium manager or sexton on the day. The medical referee is a doctor who checks the cause of death is settled before cremation goes ahead; there is usually a charge for this, which may already sit inside the cremation fee.

How much does it cost to do it yourself?

The council fee is the main cost. An adult cremation at an Auckland Council crematorium is $750 (Auckland Council fees, 2026), Porirua City Council charges $725 (Community Law, 2026), and Karori Crematorium in Wellington is $885 plus a $169 arrangement fee (Wellington fees). Add the doctor's Form B fee, a coffin or container that meets the crematorium's rules, and transport.

Compare that with a direct cremation package, where a provider does all of it: Value Cremations publishes prices from $1,945 in Auckland and $2,145 in Wellington (cremation only, city by city). On those numbers, arranging an Auckland cremation yourself saves roughly $1,000 to $1,200 before the coffin and transport, and costs a great deal of time and effort in the week after a death. A burial costs more either way, because the plot is the big line: $6,770 in council fees at Auckland's main cemeteries against $2,754 at Mākara in Wellington and $3,460 in Christchurch (prices by city).

Can you be buried on your own property in NZ?

Usually not. Under section 46 of the Burial and Cremation Act 1964, a burial normally has to be in a council cemetery, a denominational burial ground, an urupā or a private burial ground. Community Law's burial page notes the exception: burial elsewhere is allowed when no suitable cemetery or burial ground is within 32 kilometres, and the District Court must then be told about the burial and the cause of death.

Do you need embalming?

Not always. Community Law says embalming isn't necessary when the burial or cremation happens within two or three days of the death. If the person is to stay at home for longer, for a vigil or a tangihanga, it is worth getting advice on embalming or cooling, because how fast a body changes depends on the weather and how it is kept.

What does a funeral director do that you would have to do yourself?

Community Law lists it: transporting the body; checking that all the legal documents for burial or cremation are in order; embalming and caring for the body; booking a minister or celebrant and anyone else needed; death and funeral notices; flowers and catering; support for the family; and registering the death. Collecting the body and keeping it cool are the parts most families find hardest without help, which is why a partial arrangement is common.

• Transport: collection from the home, hospital or rest home, and the trip to the cemetery or crematorium.
• Care of the body: refrigeration or embalming, dressing, and a coffin or container.
• Paperwork: the cremation forms or burial application, and the BDM registration.
• The service: venue, celebrant or minister, music, the funeral notice and the gathering afterwards.

Can you still get the Funeral Grant if you arrange it yourself?

Community Law's burial and cremation pages both say the council or crematorium fee can be paid by showing proof that Work and Income or ACC will cover it through a funeral grant, and suggest contacting them first so it is processed in time. Work and Income's grant is up to $2,697.43 for people who meet its tests: the Funeral Grant explained.

Would rather hand some or all of it over? Our directory lists FDANZ funeral homes by region, or tell us what you need and we'll point you to the right place.