Funeral Pricing

Funeral arrangements can be as simple or elaborate as you and your loved ones’ wish, and the cost of funerals in NZ can vary. Each funeral service is as individual as the person we are creating it for. We suggest coming in and personally meeting with one of our funeral directors, discussing your needs and arranging a funeral of your choice. We can help you develop a clear idea of the order of proceedings and the funeral costs for the service.

Estimated Funeral Costs

At Croft Funeral Home we have a direct funeral cost of $5,000 + GST. Explained in the breakdown.

An elaborate farewell, including Livestream Catering elaborate Casket Flowers Purchase of Burial Plot and interment Fees, or cremation and Venue Hire Fees etc exceeding $17,000 + GST.

We estimate current average funeral services including catering, notice in the paper, flowers etc, is around $12,500 + GST.

Please be assured our staff are here to assist you with options to maintain the most cost-effective farewell to work within your financial budget.

Please refer to the online cemetery fees and charges above to view recent charges for cemetery and cremation fees in your local area.

For an estimate, or for more information, please contact us to see one of our staff to discuss options and retain information to enable you to tailor the funeral arrangements to your needs and financial requirements.

What Makes up the Cost of Funerals in NZ?

A funeral account is made up of a number of different costs, including:

  • Professional services – including facilitiating the legal and practical details needed to provide the funeral service
  • Embalming (if required), or temporary hygienic preparation and dressing
  • Transfer fee – covers transporting the deceased from the location where they passed to Croft Funeral Home
  • Hearse hire – from our funeral home to another chosen funeral service location in the Wellington area, then onto to the cemetery or crematorium
  • Casket
  • Burial or cremation fees (see below for more information on these costs)
  • Doctors medical fee for signing cremation documents
  • Certified death certificate
  • Personal requirements (disbursements) – the personal requirements are costs paid on your behalf at the time of the funeral. These costs vary depending on your family preferences. They may include expenses such as alternate venue hire, celebrant fee/officiant, organist, bagpiper, other musicians, flowers, catering, service sheets, local newspaper death acknowledgements, photographs, videographers (for offsite livestreaming) and other arrangements you may require.
wellington cemetery fees

Cemetery Fees and Charges

The local councils across the Wellington region set the fees and charges that make up this part of the funeral costs. These costs are available on their websites – please follow these links:

These fee structures and their descriptions can be quite confusing for people who aren’t in the funeral industry. When you talk to one of our Funeral Directors about the type of funeral service you are planning, we can also take you through the different choices offered by the councils, what you will need and how these choices will impact your overall funeral costs.

cremation service lower hutt

Unattended Direct Cremation Costs

This is where the casket is delivered to the crematorium, and no one attends a gathering of any sort. The cremation generally takes place at the first available booking after the death.

Other needs may be required which will affect an increase in cost, such as newspaper notices, flowers, viewing, some medical practitioner fees.

Unattended direct cremation costs include:
  • Professional Service Fee including facilitating all legal and practical details needed to provide this cremation service.
  • A plain simple cremation casket required to comply with the crematorium requirements.
  • Transfer fee from the place of passing to Croft Funeral Home.
  • Hearse to transfer the deceased to the crematorium.
  • Cremation at Karori Crematorium or Whenua Tapu Crematorium
  • Ashes returned to the family in a Rimu Urn provided by the crematorium.
  • New Zealand Death Certificate
  • Doctors medical Cremation Certificate if provided by funded organisations.
Additional charges include:
  • Newspaper Notices, Tributes online NZ
  • Doctors Medical Cremation Certificate Documents non-funded.
  • Viewing Prior to cremation

Estimated cost starts from $5,000 + GST.

Please note if the account is not settled within 14 days of the invoice a $1,500 administration fee will be added with additional penalty fees added as per our terms of service document.

Payment Information

The funeral account is due for payment within three weeks of the invoice being sent (which is after the funeral has taken place) and once we have received the death certificate from the Department of Internal Affairs. If you require an additional exemption to the agreement, please advise the funeral director at the time of arranging the funeral, and signing legal documentations.

Additional charges may be added to the funeral account as per the financial agreement signed by family, the Executor of the Estate, or the person arranging the funeral. There is a late payment admin fee added to the funeral account. It is removed if the account is paid by the due date. We accept the following forms of payment: cash, internet payment, EFTPOS and credit card (bank surcharges fees will apply).

funeral assistance

Find out if you are eligible for financial assistance

You may be able to receive assistance to help meet funeral costs. Find out about the WINZ funeral grant and financial assistance from ACC.