If you're reading this because someone has just died: we're sorry. Take a breath. Most of what follows doesn't need doing right now, and you don't have to do it alone.

If you're reading this to be prepared, good on you. Knowing this stuff ahead of time makes a hard few days a lot easier for everyone.

The short version. If the death was expected, there's usually no rush: call their doctor (or hospice), then take your time. If it was sudden or unexpected, call 111 and don't move them.

1. First, is there a rush?

It depends on how and where they died.

  • An expected death at home (for example, someone who was terminally ill): there's no emergency. Call their GP or hospice team to come and confirm the death. If it happens overnight and you're comfortable waiting, morning is fine. You can stay with them as long as you need.
  • In a hospital, hospice or rest home: the staff will arrange for a doctor to confirm the death. You don't need to organise anything straight away, and you can usually stay with them for a while.
  • A sudden or unexpected death: call 111 and ask for an ambulance and the police. Don't move or disturb the person. The police may refer the death to a coroner.

2. Getting the death confirmed

Before anything else can happen (a funeral, a burial or a cremation), a doctor or nurse practitioner needs to confirm the death and its cause. They'll fill in a cause of death certificate.

If the death was accidental, violent, or the cause is unknown, it has to be reported to the coroner. The coroner works out how and why the person died, and sometimes that means a post-mortem. The person can't be moved without the coroner's OK, and the funeral may need to wait until the coroner releases them. It's a lot to take in, but it's a normal process, not a sign that anyone has done something wrong.

3. You don't have to call a funeral director (yet, or at all)

This surprises a lot of people. In New Zealand, you don't have to use a funeral director. Plenty of families do, because they handle the body, the paperwork and the logistics, and that's a real help. But your people are allowed to arrange everything themselves.

You also don't have to decide in the first hour. Many whānau bring their person home, or keep them home, for a few days before the funeral or tangihanga. If you do, you'll need to keep them cool, and a funeral director can help with just that part if you want.

If they're being cremated, there are extra forms to complete first. A funeral director normally sorts these, or you can do them yourself.

4. Tell the people who need to know

Start with close family and friends. It's fine to ask someone else to make some of the calls for you. A few things worth working out early:

  • Did they leave a will? It names the executor, the person in charge of sorting out their estate. Look in their papers, or ask their lawyer or Public Trust.
  • Did they leave funeral wishes? Burial or cremation, religious or not, music, who speaks. This is exactly the stuff DED. is built to capture.
  • Who's going to take the lead? Decide who's organising the funeral, so everyone isn't doing (or not doing) the same jobs.

5. What can wait

The banks, Inland Revenue, the power company, Netflix: none of it needs doing in the first 48 hours.

When you're ready, myTrove is a free online service that lets you tell a bunch of organisations about the death in one go, including banks, Inland Revenue, Work and Income and the Passports Office. That saves a lot of repeating yourself on the phone.

6. Registering the death

Every death in New Zealand has to be registered with Births, Deaths and Marriages. This happens after the burial or cremation, not before. It needs to be done within 3 working days of the burial or cremation.

  • If you use a funeral director, they'll usually register it for you. You just give them the person's details.
  • If you're doing it yourselves, you fill in form BDM 28 and send it in with the cause of death certificate (or the coroner's release).

Registering is free. A death certificate costs $35 (from 18 June 2026). You'll want at least one, because banks and insurers usually ask for a copy.

7. Help with the cost

Funerals are expensive. If money's tight, Work and Income's Funeral Grant can help with some of the cost, up to $2,697.43. Whether you can get it depends on your relationship to the person who died, plus some income and asset checks.

8. Look after yourself

Grief does strange things to your brain. You'll forget things, and that's fine. Eat something, drink water, and let people help. If you need to talk to someone, you can free call or text 1737 any time to reach a trained counsellor.

The checklist

  1. Expected death: call their doctor or hospice. Sudden death: call 111.
  2. Get the cause of death certificate (or wait for the coroner).
  3. Decide whether to use a funeral director. No rush, and you don't have to.
  4. Tell close family and friends. Find the will and any funeral wishes.
  5. Plan the funeral or tangihanga.
  6. Register the death within 3 working days of the burial or cremation.
  7. Later: order death certificates, use myTrove, and check if you can get a Funeral Grant.