When someone dies

The main role of a funeral director is to handle the arrangements for a funeral, allowing others to deal with the grief and stress associated with the death of a family member or friend.

Griefcare funeral practices are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Their funeral directors are ethical, caring and professional.

Depending on the wishes of the family, they can provide all or some of the following services:

• Talk with other professionals on the family’s behalf - doctor, hospital, coroner, the minister, clergy, celebrant, cemetery or cremation officials
• Arrange an appropriate funeral service at the correct time and venue
• Organise an organist, other music and video or audio recording of the service
• Organise placement of ashes or establishment of a memorial
• Place notices in the newspaper
• Provide a hearse, suitable premises and personnel
• Organise purchase of a burial plot, or organise for a family grave to be re-opened
• Collate official forms from the doctor or coroner
• File death registration forms
• Refer mourners to a grief counsellor or support group

Griefcare funeral directors are sensitive to the cultural and religious beliefs of their clients. If your family has special requirements, your Griefcare funeral director will do their best to oblige, within the constraints of ethical and professional funeral and embalming practice.

On the day of the funeral, your Griefcare funeral director will attend to the ceremonial and ritual details in the formal part of the service, and assist in ensuring everything runs smoothly. They will also transport the casket to the funeral and later to the crematorium or cemetery.

Where a tangi is being held on a marae, your Griefcare funeral director will ensure the deceased is returned as soon as possible to the warmth of the whanau (family). This may involve whanau members uplifting the deceased from the funeral director’s practice, or the funeral director delivering the deceased to the marae at a time agreed with the whanau.

Griefcare is an initiative of the Funeral Directors Association of New Zealand, registered owner of the Griefcare trademark.

[Email info@griefcare.org.nz for more information about Griefcare.]