Gary Taylor from Morris & Morris Funerals in Whangārei. Photo / Tania Whyte
Low-income families are having to make tough calls around loved ones’ goodbyes as the cost of funerals far outstrips the financial assistance on offer from the Government.
The average cost of a basic cremation nationally is $7500 and $10,000 for a basic burial and the Work and Income Funeral Grant which helps low-income families cover costs is $2445.37. The grant is not designed to pay for a funeral outright.
A recent survey of the country’s funeral directors suggests up to 60 per cent of some Whangārei funeral directors’ clients access the grant - one of the highest nationwide alongside Hastings and behind Whakatane.
Morris & Morris Funerals group general manager for Northland, Gary Taylor, has been in the New Zealand funeral industry for nearly 20 years and said in that time the funeral grant has “never, ever, really been enough”.
The Ministry of Social Development confirmed the grant was last reviewed in 2003.
Taylor said: “What we are seeing is more and more people are in the position where they can’t afford a basic plot at the cemetery”.
A standard burial plot costs $2927 in the Whangārei district - $1227 more than in Kaipara and $1775 more than the Far North.
The basic cost of which is $941 in Whangārei, $1010 in the Far North and $1600 in Kaipara.
None of the fees include digging.
“Where there were maybe one or two a year, there might 10 or 20 a year or more depending on where you are,” Taylor said.
In the five years to December 2022, more than $2 million was paid out in Winz funeral grants across more than 1000 approved applications, the number of which dropped during the pandemic.
He said in the past funeral directors nationwide picked up the financial slack to enable families to afford basic funeral costs.
“If a family came in and they only had X amount of money and that went on the plot and a few other bits and pieces, funeral directors came to the party and basically did the rest for nothing.”
But rising costs related to funerals - such as petrol, casket materials, and so on - meant those days were over.
“There are a lot of decisions being made that are probably not the best decisions for the family, based purely on the fact that the cost of burial in particular is high,” Taylor said.
Sarah Apaapa is among those who have had to make hard choices because of financial constraints. She needed the help of both the Winz Funeral Grant and a Givealittle fundraising page when her dad died in December last year.
Apaapa said juggling the desire to give him a “good send off” and funeral costs was difficult.
“Trying to think about how to pay for the funeral while also grieving and planning a funeral is so exhausting and stressful ... we chose the cheaper options for everything for my dad’s funeral and this was still close to $10,000, not including catering.”
Apaapa believed providing more payment options to grieving families given the grant’s inadequacy when compared with the price tag of the average funeral would better help.
Taylor wanted to see the Winz funeral grant increased to about $7000.
“That would mean all of those families that fall into that bracket would be able to have a burial or a cremation along with service and all the other bits and pieces in its simplest form, so they can have some form of meaningful farewell that starts the emotional process of healing.”
The sum wasn’t outlandish as Taylor pointed out the Government, through ACC, provides a funeral grant of up to $7491.95 if someone dies from an injury.
Ministry of Social Development (MSD) client service delivery group general manager Jayne Russell said the grant was linked to the Consumer Price Index and any decision to increase grants would be a matter for ministers.
Funeral Directors Association chief executive Gillian Boyes said the inadequacy of the grant was having the same impact as the Covid-19 restrictions.
“By taking away the options for acknowledging the life of a loved one, but only for New Zealand’s poorest families and whānau”.
“To even apply for the Winz grant, a parent with two children who has lost their partner, would need to be earning less than $44,646.68, significantly less than the living wage,” Boyes said.
“They need to be able to provide hard copy proof of bank account statements, a death certificate, and verification of the cost of the funeral.”
Ironically, Boyes said, a death certificate is not one of the items covered by the Winz grant.
Russell said the grant can be used for costs such as professional services for preparing the body for cremation or burial, the cost of a casket, newspaper death notice costs, hearse fees, compulsory fees for buying a burial plot, and cremation fees.
“However, in general, we may be able to help whānau who can’t afford to travel to a funeral or tangi with travel or food costs. How much you can get depends on your situation.”
Karina Cooper is deputy news director and covers breaking and general news for the Advocate. She also has a special interest in investigations.