How to write a funeral notice in NZ: wording examples and what to include

A funeral notice, often called a death notice, is the short public announcement that someone has died and when and where the funeral will be. In New Zealand it is usually placed in the local newspaper and on its online notices page, and often on the funeral director's website. It needs the person's full name, the date they died, a line about family, and the service details. Everything else is optional.

What do you write in a funeral notice?

Write the person's full name (surname first), the date they died, the family they leave, and the date, time and place of the service. Add a short personal line and any request, such as donations instead of flowers, if you want to. In New Zealand the notice usually ends with how to send messages, through the funeral director.

What to include in a funeral notice

• Surname first, in capitals, then the full first names and any name they were known by. For example: SMITH, Margaret Anne (Peggy).
• The date of death, and often where: peacefully at home, at a hospice, or at a named hospital.
• Their age, if the family wishes.
• Family: a partner, children and their partners, grandchildren. Many notices say “loved wife of”, “much-loved mum of”, “cherished nana of”.
• The service: the type (funeral, memorial, celebration of life, requiem mass), the venue, the date and the time.
• What follows the service, if public: a private cremation, an interment at a named cemetery, or a gathering afterwards.
• Any request: donations to a named charity in lieu of flowers, a dress request, or that the service will be livestreamed.
• Who to contact: usually the funeral director's name, or “messages to the family c/o” followed by an address the funeral director provides.

A simple structure that works

Most New Zealand notices follow the same order, which is why readers can scan them quickly: name, how and when they died, family, a short personal line, then the service details and any requests. Keep each part short. Space is usually charged by length in print, and a shorter notice is easier to read on a phone.

A short personal line is where a notice becomes theirs: “A gentle soul who loved her garden,” or “Forever on the bowling green.” One sentence is enough. A longer tribute belongs in the eulogy or a memorial page.

Funeral notice wording examples

These are templates in the order New Zealand papers usually print them. Replace the bracketed parts with your own details, and cut any line that does not fit. The funeral director can check the format against the paper's style before it goes in.

Traditional notice

Short notice (to keep the print cost down)

Private cremation, no service

Celebration of life, with a livestream

Memorial service to be held later

What is the best wording for a death notice?

The best wording is short, in the usual order, and sounds like the family. Name first, then when they died, then family, then the service details. Plain words such as “peacefully”, “suddenly”, “loved” and “cherished” are standard because readers scan for them. One personal line makes it theirs; a longer tribute belongs in the eulogy.

Is a funeral announcement the same as a funeral notice?

Yes. Funeral announcement, funeral notice and death notice all mean the short public announcement that someone has died and when the service is. New Zealand papers file them under death notices or funeral notices. An announcement shared on social media or by email usually uses the same wording, often with a photo and a livestream link added.

Do you have to put a death notice in the paper?

No. Nothing in New Zealand law requires a death notice. The legal step is registering the death with Births, Deaths and Marriages, which the funeral director usually does (see how to get a death certificate). A notice is for letting people know, and many families now use only the funeral director's website, social media, or both.

For a tangihanga

Notices for a tangihanga usually name the marae where the person is lying, the day they will arrive, and when and where the nehu (burial) will take place. Whānau decide the wording, and it often includes te reo Māori, iwi and hapū affiliations. If you are not part of the whānau and are asked to help, ask who holds the final say before anything is placed.

Where to place a funeral notice in New Zealand

• The main regional newspaper for where the person lived. Most run their print notices online as well, which is where many people now look.
• Local community papers, for someone well known in a small town or suburb.
• The funeral director's own website, which many directors include in their service.
• Papers in a place the person lived earlier in life, if friends from there would want to know.

Newspapers set their own deadlines and prices, and both vary. If the funeral is within a few days, ask the funeral director or the paper for the deadline straight away: a notice that runs the day after the service helps nobody.

Things to check before it goes in

• Spelling of every name, especially grandchildren and step-family. This is the error families notice most.
• The date, time and venue against the funeral director's booking.
• That nobody close has been left out, and that anyone estranged is handled in a way the immediate family has agreed.
• Whether to include a home address. Many families now use the funeral director's address instead, because notices are public.

Death notice, funeral notice, or obituary?

In everyday use, death notice and funeral notice mean the same paid announcement. An obituary is different: a longer article about the person's life, usually written by a journalist or the family and run as editorial rather than a paid notice. Most families place a notice, and an obituary only appears for someone with a wider public story.