Grim funeral costs force Northland families to opt for cheaper cremations

People are turning to cremations as the cost of living drives up the cost of dying - among other factors, says Northland funerals directors. Photo / 123rf

More Northlanders are choosing direct cremation ahead of burials as the price tag of farewells surges, funeral directors around the region say.

Not only is the cost of living driving up the cost of dying but so is the corporate presence amid locally owned funeral services.

The dilemma of affording a funeral is felt nationwide as many Kiwis take to the crowdfunding website, Givealittle, to try and raise the necessary funds.

One page lays bare the plight of a pensioner who lost her son unexpectedly when he died in his sleep, aged 45.

She bore the funeral costs only to fall short of the $2000 cremation fee, meaning her son lay in a funeral home for more than a month before eventually being cremated.

In New Zealand, a funeral usually costs between $8k to $15k and is typically paid for from a person's estate proceeds by their appointed executor.

A closer look at Northland showed basic funerals cost around $6k for a burial and $3k for cremation.

The price tag covers the removal of the body, its transport and storage, legal documents, professional service fees, and either cemetery or cremation facility fees.

Flowers, chapel and celebrant services, newspaper notices, a memorial book and an audio-visual presentation can add another $6k for burials and $4k for cremations.

Exact costs vary between regions but Auckland, Otago, Southland, the West Coast, and Canterbury bare the heftier prices.

Jessica Young, who co-owns Dargaville Funeral Services with her husband Bruce, says costs have seen some Kaipara families do away with funeral services altogether.

"There is definitely a trend towards cremation as burials can set you back around $3000 compared to $960."

Dargaville Funeral Services owners Bruce and Julie Young. Photo / Supplied

Young said part of the cost increase was that some materials imported in bulk from overseas and others from down the line had become more expensive.

"The price of wood has increased, caskets have had a few price hikes, fuel costs have gone up, the cost of fabric and the cost of chemicals are up - it all has an effect."

Caskets were $200 to $300 more expensive than they were six months ago, she said, with the price of a solid pine casket above $2k compared to a composite wood casket.

Add to the bills, an annual $600 licence fee so funeral services can play music and display lyrics on a screen during services without any copyright concerns.

"We can't absorb that price," she said.

Young has been in the industry for 12 years and in the past decade has seen corporations inject a more commercial approach and cost to funerals.

She said the strength of locally owned services was that they were able to work closely with families to help them afford the desired send-off for loved ones.

But still, people were moving towards cheaper, no-service cremations which Young said came with a sacrifice as it often negatively impacted the grieving process for some.

A Work and Income (WINZ) Funeral Grant of $2280 is available to help low-income families with funeral costs.

But this has been blasted as "woefully inadequate" by the Funeral Directors Association of New Zealand.

They have called on the Government to increase the grant which currently only covers 37 per cent of a simple funeral cremation or 29 per cent of a funeral and burial.

The association's chief executive Gillian Boyes said changes in the WINZ funeral grant - last increased nearly 20 years ago - are long overdue.

ACC also has a funeral grant of up to $6k available for people who die because of an accident, work-related disease or infection, or medical treatment. The family of a homicide victim can receive up to $10k.

Despite the opportunity for some financial help, families still worried about the cost of final farewells, Newberrys Funeral Home owner/operator, Freda Taylor said.

Whangārei-based Taylor said many people preferred burials but found them too hard to afford.

"Our cremation costs are also expensive though compared to Auckland but that is because crematorium prices are driving up."

The cost of an adult cremation at an Auckland council crematorium is $650 whereas Maunu Crematorium in Whangārei, which services Kaipara also, charges $965.

Maunu Crematorium serves not only the Whangārei district but also Kaipara. Photo / Tania Whyte

Maunu Crematorium Ltd privately leases the building from the Whangārei District Council.

The Advocate understands the entity is owned by an Australian company Propel Funeral Partners Ltd which is located in New South Wales.

The company, which claims to be the second largest private provider of "death care services" in Australia and New Zealand, owns 12 funeral services in Aotearoa.

Three are in Northland in addition to overseeing two of the region's crematoriums - the second being in Kerikeri run by the private entity Far North Memorial Gardens Ltd.

The Advocate approached them for comment about rising prices but did not hear back.

Corporate influences aside, price increases were also spurred by the cost of mortuary supplies which have "grown exponentially", Taylor said.

"It's not us lining our funeral directors' pockets. We don't have to be involved, it's about remembering the person who has died and giving the family the chance to grieve."

Amanda King, funeral director and embalmer at Propel's Kerikeri premise - Scotts Funerals - said cremations were far more popular than burials nowadays in the Far North.

Yes, cost played a role in that, she said, but funerals are also moving away from their traditional roots especially as religious ceremonies waned.

Jo Samuel, Whangārei funeral and company director at A Graceful Undertaking, said in Victorian times the more money you splashed on farewells the more the person was loved and respected.

She agreed that other influences had contributed to the growing popularity of cremations.

"What we are seeing is more people are not wanting to be wasteful around money and across the board, people of all ages, are mindful of environmental impacts."

Maunu Cemetery has space to last another 60-odd years roughly. Photo / Michael Cunningham

New Zealand Cemeteries & Crematoria Collective (NZCCC) chair Hayden Parr said Northland has always been "a cremation-heavy population" as Maunu Crematorium has been around since the late 70s.

Parr shared the view more people were straying from large, traditional funerals and opting for alternative cost-saving measures or natural burials.

When the concern of enough burial space being available was raised, he said there are at least another 60 to 65 years left in Maunu Cemetery.

But plots in the Kamo and Onerahi cemeteries ran out 10 years ago as they are both landlocked by residential houses so have no options to extend, Parr said.

How to prepare for the inevitable:

Northland's funeral directors have shared their best advice for preparing for when the final day comes.

• Plan ahead - let your loved ones know how you want to be farewelled.
• Normalise conversations around death with family or close friends so you are able to communicate your wishes.
• Explore payment options - funeral insurance, pre-paying, government grants, or even just putting a bit aside yourself.
• Use resources such as endoflife.services.govt.nz/welcome