Frequently Asked Questions

Neither is more respectful than the other, so it comes down to what suits your family and sometimes to faith or cultural practice. Cremation returns the ashes to you, usually a couple of days afterwards, and you can take your time deciding what happens to them. Burial gives your family a place to visit, which matters to some families more than anything else. Whichever you choose, you can still have the funeral you want. There is more on cremation and on burial.

A private cremation with no service beforehand, $4,250. You can say goodbye at home before our team arrives, and the ashes come back to you sooner. Plenty of families hold a memorial or a gathering weeks or months later, when everyone can be there. See direct cremation.

They come back to you in an urn, usually a couple of days after the cremation. You can keep them, scatter them, inter them in a cemetery, or divide them between family. There is no time limit on deciding, and you can change your mind later.

Almost anywhere, but check with us first. Councils have rules about some public places, and tikanga Māori avoids food-gathering areas, on land and at sea. Tell us where you are thinking of and we will tell you what applies there.

Yes, and we never charge for it. We have a specialised transfer facility, so it is done safely and properly. This applies even if we did not arrange the funeral. You can do it yourself, but we would rather do it for you.

A cemetery plot, a natural burial, a religious plot, or a services plot for ex-service members. We arrange the plot, the interment and the graveside service, and handle the cemetery booking. See burial.

A burial with no embalming and no chemical treatment, in a biodegradable casket or a shroud, in a designated natural burial area. The location is registered by GPS, so your family can always find it, and you can plant a native tree over it.

Yes. It needs a permit and an approved location, and it is done by ship or by helicopter with an eco-friendly casket. Tikanga Māori avoids food-gathering areas, which affects where. Ask us and we will explain what is involved.

About seven days, though there is no rule. It can be later if family are travelling, or if cultural or religious practice calls for different timing. Most funerals are arranged within several days to a week.

No. Some families choose a direct cremation with no service at all. Others hold a memorial or a gathering later, when everyone can get there. There is no right answer, only the one that suits your family.

Yes, and many families do. A church, a marae, a garden, a sports club, your own home, or somewhere that mattered to them. We arrange it and handle the booking. See our venues.

Yes, anyone you like. If you would rather have a recommendation, we work with celebrants and ministers across Wellington and we will suggest someone who suits the tone you want.

Yes. Both our chapels have three inbuilt cameras at different angles, so family overseas see the service properly rather than through someone’s phone. You get a private link, and the recording stays available afterwards. At an external venue we work with trusted partners. See web streaming.

They can, and that decision is yours. Children understand more than we often realise, and they cope best when they know what to expect. Talk to them beforehand in simple, honest words: what a funeral is, what they might see, and why people are sad. Let them ask questions, and tell them that whatever they feel, including confusion, is normal. Small jobs help, like drawing a picture or placing a flower. So does stepping outside for a break.

Yes, at both our chapels. Plenty of other Wellington venues allow it too. Tell us in advance and we will make sure it is handled well on the day.

Yes. Both have wheelchair access and an accessible bathroom, and Willis Street has step-free access and ramps from the car park. We can reserve mobility parking and arrange seating wherever you need it. If someone cannot travel at all, we can livestream it to them. See our venues.

You record what you want and we keep it on file: burial or cremation, the venue, the music, the readings, and anything else that matters to you. Your family does not have to guess later, at the worst possible time. See planning ahead.

Yes, and it is optional. You can put up to $10,000 towards your funeral ahead of time, and that money is held in the Now for Them funeral trust, managed independently of us, until it is needed. It is not asset tested or health tested. Plenty of people record their wishes without paying anything in advance, and that is fine too. Now for Them is offered through FDANZ, and we will help you with the application paperwork. See planning ahead.

Look after yourself first, and sit with someone you trust. When you are ready, call us on (04) 385 0745 at any hour and we will take you through it. A doctor needs to attend and complete the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death before we can bring the person who died into our care, so that is usually the first practical step. There is a full guide at what to do when someone dies.

Generally within 24 to 48 hours, and sooner if the death was at home. There is no legal deadline. If it happened in hospital or a rest home, staff will care for them until you call.

Yes, all of it. Death certificates, cremation permits, registration of the death with the Department of Internal Affairs, and the letters families often need for Work and Income, an employer, or a school sitting exams.

It is a conversation, usually the same day or the next, at our place or at yours. We ask about the person who died and about what you want. Then we go through the options, the paperwork and the costs, and explain what has to happen and when. Nothing is decided before you are ready.

We bring them home. It is called repatriation, and we coordinate with the authorities, the airline and the funeral director in that country, and handle all the documentation. See repatriation.

A viewing is private time with the person who died, before the funeral. We have quiet rooms where you can sit, talk, or simply be there, for as long as you want. It is always optional. Some families choose to spend time with them without a formal viewing. We will gently explain the possibilities and arrange the time and setting around your family’s wishes.

No. Viewings are often possible without it. Everyone in our care receives hygiene and preparation care either way, and we do not charge for that. Embalming becomes worth discussing if it will be more than a few days until the funeral, or if family are travelling to get here.

Clothing that reflects who they were: formal, casual, cultural, or just their own. Include undergarments, socks and shoes. Bring jewellery, glasses or taonga if you would like them worn. Families often put letters, photographs or a favourite jumper in the casket as well, and we encourage that. For a cremation there are two restrictions only: no batteries, and no large pieces of glass.

We check on the person several times a day. If you have asked for their music to be playing, it plays. We refresh the flowers. Behind that, we are completing the legal paperwork, coordinating with the celebrant, the caterer, the crematorium, the cemetery and the venue, preparing the service sheets and the audiovisual, and organising flowers and transport. On the day itself we wash the vehicles, clean the catering kitchen, stock the bathrooms and vacuum the venue.

Yes. Early in the arrangements, we will ask about the traditions and ceremonial elements that matter to your family, then build the timing around them. We arrange karakia and waiata, prayers, scripture, ritual washing and dressing. Our funeral directors work with Māori, Pasifika, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, Christian, Chinese, Filipino and African families across Wellington, among many others.

Yes. We work with whānau on tikanga, on timing, and on keeping whānau alongside the tūpāpaku throughout. Tell us what your whānau needs and we will arrange around it, including at your marae.

Yes, and many Wellington families choose one. A celebrant leads it, and it is built around stories, memories and the things that mattered to the person, rather than around scripture. You can still include anything you want, including a hymn if that is what they would have liked.

We stay in touch, and we can connect you with grief counsellors, support groups and community services in Wellington. Some families want a name and a number. Others just want to talk to someone who was there on the day. Either is fine, and there is no time limit on it. See grief support.

We will discuss what you would like to happen to them. Flowers can be taken home, left at the cemetery or crematorium, or donated to a rest home or community space on your behalf.