Can you afford to die? – Editorial

Burial and cremation costs are on the rise across the country. Photo / 123rf

Editorial

• Councils are increasing burial fees, with Marlborough’s rising 19% to $6611 and New Plymouth’s at $7207.
• The average cost for a “very modest” funeral is $7500 for a cremation and $10,000 for a burial.
• Winz offers a funeral grant up to $2616, but many families still face significant financial burdens.

Can you afford to die?

It’s an uncomfortable question, but one worth asking as councils across the country increase their burial fees, some by percentages in the double digits.

The Herald reported last week that Marlborough District Council’s burial fees were among the highest in the country, rising by 19% this year to $6611.

But, despite the large increase, Marlborough’s fees weren’t the most expensive on the list. That dubious honour went to New Plymouth, which has burial fees of $7207.

New Plymouth District Council told the Herald this was for a double-depth plot and interment fee, but there were cheaper options.

The cheapest burial fee on the list was Taupō’s, at $1455.

The Weekend Herald also talked to those in the industry, who said one in two Kiwis will now go into debt to cover the costs of a funeral.

But funerals are so much more than just where a person is buried.

They’re a celebration of a life well-lived, or a recognition of one ended too soon. An epilogue to a person’s life story.

They are a place to share grief with others who feel the same pain of loss, exchange stories and keep memories alive.

And all of that, unfortunately, costs money.

A 2023 report by the Funeral Directors Association of New Zealand calculated the average costs for a “very modest” funeral, arriving at $7500 for a cremation and $10,000 for a burial.

The association’s cost guide breaks down where all that money goes.

Nationally, burials (plot and interment) range from $1000 to $8000, while cremations are between $600 and $1100, and ash burials $200 to $3000.

Other major costs include professional services ($3000 to $6500), body preparation ($700 to $1050) and a casket ($1200 to $5000).

Then there’s everything else funeral-related – venue hire, hearse, celebrant, flowers and the death certificate, to name a few. The more you add to a service, the more the costs mount.

Even those service sheets handed out at the beginning of a funeral, decorated with photos of the deceased and detailing the service order, cost between $2 and $3 per sheet.

It’s a drop in the bucket compared to the rest, but it all adds up.

Where does all that money come from?

Work and Income New Zealand (Winz) has a funeral grant that offers up to $2616 for some families, and ACC covers $7990 if the death was the result of an accident.

Fourteen per cent of funerals are pre-paid, the funeral association says. Some people’s funerals will be covered by their estate.

But the remainder will need to have their farewells paid for by their friends and family – another burden to place on people already dealing with loss.

They will have to make the hard choices about pine versus MDF, sausage rolls or macarons, newspaper notices or Facebook posts, lilies or roses, and they’ll have to do all that while talking to funeral directors, filling out paperwork, informing relevant parties and receiving condolences.

It’s worth having a conversation now with loved ones to let them know your wishes and come up with a plan for how to fund your final goodbye. Do it before it’s too late.

Our deaths will be hard enough already for the people we leave behind. We don’t need to add to that burden.

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