Until recently, if you died in New Zealand, it was pretty much burial or cremation, plus a few less common options like natural burial or donating your body to science. Since June 2025 there's been another: water cremation. It's only offered in one place so far, but the Christchurch funeral home behind it says it's already proving popular with families.
The short version. Water cremation uses water, a little alkali, heat and pressure instead of fire, and your family still gets ashes back at the end. It's available in Christchurch, with more places on the way, so if it's what you want, write it down so your people know.
What is it?
Water cremation goes by a few names, including aquamation, alkaline hydrolysis and resomation, but they all mean the same thing.
Instead of fire, the body is gently broken down in a mix of about 95% water and 5% alkali (potassium hydroxide). It's heated to around 150°C under pressure, which means the water never actually boils, and the whole thing takes about four hours. It's the same natural process that happens in the ground over many years, just sped up.
What happens on the day
Your person is wrapped in a natural shroud (in Christchurch, it's New Zealand wool) and placed in a stainless steel machine called a resomator. There's no casket involved, although you can still have one for the funeral itself.
Unlike a flame cremation, where the heat keeps everyone at a distance, your family can be in the room to say goodbye, and can even help with the wrapping and placing if they'd like to.
Once the process is finished, all that's left are the bones and any metal implants, like a hip replacement. Pacemakers don't have to be removed beforehand, as they do for a flame cremation, and any metal is recycled.
Do you still get ashes?
You do. The bones are dried and processed into a fine powder, the same as with a flame cremation, although there's usually 20 to 30% more of it and it's white rather than grey. You can scatter them, keep them, bury them or turn them into jewellery, so all the usual options are still on the table.
What happens to the water?
This is the bit people always ask about. What's left is a sterile liquid made up of amino acids, sugars and salts, which is neutralised and returned to the water cycle through the wastewater system with the council's permission. Before it opened, the Christchurch provider worked with mana whenua and had independent reports done on the process.
Is it legal in New Zealand?
It is, as long as the local council allows it. Our main law on this, the Burial and Cremation Act, dates from 1964 and only covers burial and flame cremation. Because it doesn't say anything about water cremation either way, it's up to each council to approve it, and Christchurch City Council has.
The law is well overdue for an update and the funeral industry has been pushing for change, so things could become clearer in the next few years.
Where can you get it?
- Christchurch: New Zealand's first water crematorium opened at Bell, Lamb and Trotter on 6 June 2025.
- Hamilton and Auckland: according to the Funeral Directors Association, facilities are in the works but not open yet.
If you live somewhere else, it may still be possible. Your funeral director can talk to the Christchurch crematorium about transport, though that will add to the cost.
What does it cost?
When it launched in June 2025, the water cremation itself was priced at $1,350, which the provider said was slightly cheaper than a flame cremation, partly because you don't need a casket. As with any cremation, funeral director fees, a service and any transport come on top of that. Based on Christchurch funeral packages in 2026, here's roughly what the whole thing costs:
| What you're after | Ballpark |
|---|---|
| Simple water cremation, no service | About $5,500 |
| A small gathering in a chapel, plus water cremation | About $6,800 |
| Water cremation first, memorial service afterwards | About $8,500 |
| A full funeral service, plus water cremation | $10,000–$14,000 |
For comparison, a simple flame cremation with no service costs around $2,000 to $3,400 from a budget provider, while the funeral industry's 2026 average is about $4,700, and a full funeral with a flame cremation averages around $11,700. In other words, water cremation sits in a similar range, because the big costs are the funeral director, the venue and the service rather than the cremation itself.
These figures are a rough guide to help you plan, not quotes, so ask your funeral director for an actual price (and remember to add transport if you're not in Christchurch). If money's tight, cremation fees count towards Work and Income's Funeral Grant for eligible families, but it's worth checking with them that a water cremation is covered.
Is it really greener?
The providers say water cremation uses about 90% less energy than flame cremation and doesn't release mercury from dental fillings into the air. Those are their own figures, but the basic idea holds up: with no fire, no fuel and no casket being burned, the footprint is a lot smaller.
Things to think about
- Culture and faith: some traditions have strong views on what happens to the body, so it's worth talking it through with your whānau, iwi or faith leader.
- Size: the machines currently take people up to about 150kg.
- Where you'll be: if you're not in Christchurch, think about whether you're happy for your body to travel there, or whether you'd rather wait until it's available closer to home.
- Telling your people: because water cremation is so new, your family might not even know it's an option, so if it's what you want, write it down.
How to choose it
- Decide it's what you want, and tell your people.
- Write it in your plan (DED. has a spot for exactly this) or your will, so nobody's left guessing.
- When the time comes, your people ask their funeral director to arrange a water cremation.
- The ashes are returned to your family, just as they would be after a flame cremation.