Funeral Resources
Funeral
All your funeral resources and frequently asked questions, in one easy to access area.
Essential resources
FuneralCare Magazine
Celebrant documents
Important links
Professional Development
Flyers
Events
Celebrants Aotearoa host a range of funeral focused member only events online and across the country
Need help?
Our support team are here to help, whether it’s a question that’s not covered in our FAQ’s below, something technical, or where to go to find what you need.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I contact for help with funeral ceremony queries?
Contact the Celebrants Aotearoa support team, they are always available to help with any questions you may have and provide any assistance.
How can I register with BDM as an independent celebrant?
To become a registered independent celebrant you must be registered with BDM.
Apply with BDM to become a registered independent celebrant here.
Pronounciation - If the name is difficult to pronounce, how do I manage this?
Names are so personal that mispronouncing them can be embarrassing for all parties. If marrying a couple whose full names are difficult to pronounce, can the couple say their full names during their “I AB take you CD….” and introduce them by their first names?
Answer: The Marriage Act defines the legal sentence of marriage as, “I AB take you CD to my legal wife or husband”; this refers to the first and last names for both parties. In recent years, BDM have clarified that as long as the celebrant says the full name of both parties at the start, the couple can just say their first names in that legal sentence of marriage. If however, the parties have names that are tricky for the celebrant to pronounce correctly, using their full names in the introduction can be at the celebrant’s discretion, and first names could be used. In that case, however, BOTH PARTIES MUST SAY THEIR FULL NAMES themselves in the legal sentence of marriage. They do not need to repeat them after the celebrant; it would be sufficient for the celebrant to prompt the parties to insert their spoken full names in the appropriate pause.
See the Marriage Act legislation here.
31 Place and Form of marriage before marriage celebrant
(1) Every marriage solemnised by a marriage celebrant shall be solemnised at a place described in the marriage licence issued in respect of that marriage.
(2) Subject to subsection (3), every such marriage shall take place between the persons named in the licence according to such form and ceremony as they may think fit to adopt, and shall be solemnised in the presence of a marriage celebrant and 2 or more witnesses.
(3) During the solemnisation of every such marriage each party must say to the other—
(a) “I AB, take you CD, to be my legal wife or husband”; or
(b) words to similar effect
Ashes and memorials
The Funeral Directors Association of New Zealand (FDANZ) has kindly provided information from their ‘Members’ Handbook’ regarding Ashes and Memorials.
This material is for CANZ funeral celebrants’ reference only and is not to be used in part or in whole on any social media platforms, websites, media, publications, or copied and pasted into documents.
View the FDANZ – Ashes and Memorials Guideline here.
The more informed and resourceful you are as a funeral celebrant, the more helpful you will be to the grieving family.
It is also our job to establish professional working relationships with funeral directors. Delivering a high level of proficiency with warmth and grace, as a CANZ member, will ensure you remain one of their preferred funeral celebrants.
Churches - as a funeral celebrant, can I lead a funeral in a church?
You will need the blessing of both the family and the Parish. Most pastors/ministers/priests will allow an independent celebrant to participate in the service but not lead the funeral. Some older churches are deconsecrated, which means an independent celebrant can officiate.
Coronial process - when someone dies suddenly
Death and dying in Aotearoa New Zealand
Celebrant’s Aotearoa funeral celebrants should be familiar with New Zealand’s current laws regarding death and dying, their own local body services and amenities, and their regional hospice services. Local body websites will have a section on burials, cemeteries, and interment of ashes. And often we are called upon to speak with a dying person about their ‘farewell’; hence knowledge is helpful.
Our role as a funeral celebrant is two-fold: working closely with the bereaved family and alongside the funeral director if one is appointed. Occasionally a deceased has pre-organised their burial or cremation. If a family chooses to go it alone for their loved one, there is a lot to deal with. This can save money yet can be daunting at a time of bereavement. Often our discussions with a family include what needs to be done and by whom.
The following are helpful websites:
Te Hokinga a Wairua – End of Life Resources
An excellent government website for all citizens.
The NZ Community Law website has excellent and current information under the title ‘A Death In The Family’. Sections include:
- An overview
- Confirming and registering death
- Funerals and tangihanga
- Burial and cremation
- Donating organs: who decides
- Dealing with the deceased’s property: wills, ‘intestacy’, and small estates
- Financial support for bereaved families
- Euthanasia and assisted dying
- Where to go for more support
The Citizens Advice Bureau is also a helpful website with sections that include:
- What are the legal requirements for a burial or cremation
- Laws about where ashes may be scattered or interred
- Burial at sea
- More affordable options for a funeral
- Alternatives to a standard burial
- Dying overseas
- Family disputes about funeral and Burial
- What can a funeral director do
- Registering a death
- Obtaining a cemetery plot
- When must a death be reported to the coroner
- Disinterment of the Deceased to be reburied elsewhere
- Burial restrictions
What needs to be done after a family member dies?
The Funeral Directors Association of New Zealand (FDANZ) has kindly provided information from their ‘Members’ Handbook’ regarding ashes and memorials.
This material is for CANZ funeral celebrants’ reference only and is not to be used in part or in whole on any social media platforms, websites, media, publications, or copied and pasted into documents.
View the FDANZ – Ashes and Memorials Guideline here.
The more informed and resourceful you are as a funeral celebrant, the more helpful you will be to the grieving family. It is also our job to establish professional working relationships with funeral directors. Delivering a high level of proficiency with warmth and grace, as a CANZ member, will ensure you remain one of their preferred funeral celebrants.
Fees - as an independent funeral celebrant?
Yes, you can stipulate your own fee for carrying out a funeral on behalf of the family. However, you need to have this discussion well in advance, prior to accepting funeral work with any funeral director you work with. Every funeral director you work with should have your charge-out rate on file, including disbursements, bank details, GST number if registered, and they should agree to honour your fee.
Hearse travel - is there an expectation that I travel in the hearse to the crematorium or cemetery?
No. However, should you wish to do so, and the family would like you to accompany them, do ensure the funeral director is informed.
Sudden death bereavements - what do I need to know as a celebrant working with families by ‘sudden death’?
The following resource provides guidance and supports you in your work as a celebrant when working with families bereaved by “sudden death”. This may include ‘suicide-bereaved’ families, and there are some additional resources to support you and aid your learning included.
Suicide - guidance for funerals of people who die from suicide
The Mental Health Foundation has produced two resources, linked below, providing guidance for funerals for people who die by suicide.
These funeral resources are free to download and order from the Mental Health Foundation here.
Celebrants Aotearoa was grateful to be included in the development of these valuable resources.
These resources are for whānau leaders, kaumātua, funeral directors, celebrants, faith leaders, or anyone leading a funeral or hui mate for a person who died by suicide or suspected suicide.
They will asssist you as you walk alongside the bereaved whānau, kōrero/talk safely about suicide, and take care of yourself throughout the process.
For bereaved whānau – view here.
These resources can support you in planning your loved one’s funeral or hui mate in a way that honours their life, addresses suicide safely, and helps you and your whānau cope with your grief.
You are able to circulate these resources to those in your network who could benefit from them.
If you have any questions, please contact:
Virginia Brooks, Mental Health Foundation – Suicide and Bereavement Service coordinator
Suicide - what resources are available to support suicide-bereaved?
View the counselling service for suicide bereaved – Aoake Te Rā here.
Aoake te Rā is a free brief therapeutic support service funded by the Ministry of Health. It has been informed by a co-design process including stakeholders, lived experience groups, clinical and cultural expertise in suicide prevention and postvention, and recent literature.
Support groups for suicide loss
- A list of groups across NZ can be found on the Mental Health Foundation website here.
Mental Health Foundation resources.
- You can find more resources on the Mental Health Foundation website here.
The following resource provides guidance and support as your work as a celebrant when working with families bereaved by “sudden death”. This may include ‘suicide-bereaved’ families,, and there are some additional resources to support you and aid your learning included.
Translations - how do I find a translator, if asked to provide one, by a family?
Interpreting New Zealand currently has over 250 interpreters for over 80 languages. It is also a useful website for resources, e.g. Guidelines on using interpreters etc.
View the Interpreting New Zealand website here.
Translations - where do I find a NZ Sign Language (NZSL) interpreter?
You can locate a NZSL Interpreter on the Sign Language Interpreters Association of New Zealand website here.