For when someone has died
Clear steps, honest costs, and no jargon. Everything in one place so you are not searching ten websites while grieving.
For when it has just happened
What to do in the first hours, days, and weeks. Who to call, what can wait.
Funeral costs
What funerals actually cost in NZ, by type and region. Direct cremation to full service.
Choosing a funeral director
How to choose, what to ask, when family-led is an option.
Planning the service
Order of service, eulogy tips, slideshow how-to, the practical decisions.
Wills, probate and legal
Probate, intestacy, relationship property, what happens if there is no will.
Who to notify
Every agency, bank, and service to contact — with phone numbers.
Financial help
Funeral grants, ACC entitlements, other NZ support available.
Tax and IRD
Final tax return, IR6 for the estate, IRD notification.
The estate
Administering the estate, executor duties, distributing assets.
Belongings
Sorting belongings — when to start, what to keep, the practical and the personal.
Death notices
Writing the notice, where to publish, what to include.
Cultural and religious guidance
Tangihanga, Pacific customs, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, and other religious requirements.
What grief actually feels like
Brain fog, anger, physical symptoms — what is normal and what nobody tells you.
Support
Crisis lines, bereavement counselling, support for children, leave entitlements.
What to say when you call
Phone scripts for banks, Work and Income, IRD, and other agencies.
Milestones
A year on, anniversaries, birthdays, how grief returns.
Plan ahead
Wills, EPA, funeral wishes, the conversations nobody wants to have but everyone should.
Need to talk to someone right now?
1737 — Aotearoa's free national helpline. Call or text any time, day or night. Trained counsellors answer. No referral, no cost, completely confidential.
Lifeline NZ 0800 543 354 — for immediate distress or crisis.