What to do in the first hours after a death

If you've just landed on this page in the middle of something hard, we're sorry. Below is a short, plain sequence of what comes next. You don't have to do all of this immediately — but knowing the shape of it can help when nothing else feels manageable.

If the death was at home and was not unexpected

• Call the GP, district nurse or hospice nurse first — they need to attend before the deceased is moved.
• Once they have certified the death, you can call a funeral director (no rush — within 4-6 hours is fine).
• Tell anyone who needs to know in the immediate family. There's no obligation to call wider relatives or friends in the first hours.
• If the deceased had a 'plan in case of death' folder or pre-paid plan paperwork, find it; don't worry if you can't.

If the death was unexpected, or at home alone

• Call 111 (or 105 if there's clearly no medical emergency).
• The police and a paramedic will attend; they'll determine whether the coroner needs to be involved.
• If a coroner is involved, the deceased is taken into the coroner's care, not directly to a funeral director. This adds 1-7 days before a funeral can be planned.
• You can still call a funeral director early to start preliminary conversations — they'll take care of liaising with the coroner.

If the death was at hospital, hospice or rest home

The staff there have done this many times. They will tell you what they need from you (next-of-kin contact, ID, sometimes a single signed form) and will hold the deceased in their care until the funeral director collects. There is no clock counting down — take an hour, take half a day. Whatever you need.

What you don't need to worry about right now

• Bank accounts, wills and probate — these are for the executor, in days and weeks, not hours.
• Telling the IRD, banks, KiwiSaver or insurance — handled later, in writing, by the executor.
• Whether to have a service, when, how big — none of that needs deciding today.