What to do when someone dies
Who to notify, what to organise and how to get help with costs when someone dies.
Call or tell someone
When someone has just died, you’ll need to contact people immediately.
If the person died unexpectedly — call 111 and ask for an ambulance and police.
Died at home
When someone dies at home and the death was:
- unexpected — call 111 and ask for an ambulance and police
- expected — call their doctor, this can wait until morning if the person died overnight.
Died at a hospital, hospice or rest home
Alert the medical or rest home staff on duty.
Died overseas
Contact the nearest New Zealand Embassy or Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade office.
What happens after the call
The End of Life Service website tells you who you need to call and what happens after.
Let people know — Te Hokinga ā Wairua | End of Life Service
The death needs to be confirmed, who confirms the death depends on how the person died. Community Law’s website explains this process.
Take time off work
Let your employer know and apply for bereavement leave or other types of leave to get the days you need off work.
Look for the will
A will sets out:
- what happens to their estate
- their funeral and burial or cremation wishes
- who they want to carry out the instructions in their will, this person is called the executor.
Where to find the will — Wills, probate and estates
If the person died without a will, there is a different process.
When there’s no will — Wills, probate and estates
Find the executor
The person who died would have named their executor in the will, if they have one.
Once found, the executor can:
- check the person’s wishes for a funeral or tangi, and if they prefer burial or cremation
- apply to prove the will’s legality — called ‘probate’.
Probate and dealing with the estate each have different timeframes.
Organise the farewell
Funeral, tangi or memorial
The person may have left instructions for a funeral or tangi — or a memorial, where the body is not present.
- Planning a funeral — Citizens Advice Bureau
- Arranging a funeral — Community Law
- How do I find out about correct etiquette at a tangi? — Citizens Advice Bureau
Burial or cremation
Most people are buried or cremated. The person who died may have left instructions for what they want. If not, the family can decide.
- Burial or cremation — Funeral Directors Association of New Zealand
- What are the legal requirements for a burial or cremation? — Citizens Advice Bureau
If there are disagreements, Community Law explains the decision-making process.
Decisions about the deceased’s body: legal rights and powers — Community Law
Other options
There are a few alternatives available to burial or cremation.
What are the alternatives to a standard burial? — Citizens Advice Bureau
Get help with costs
You may be able to get help with the costs of:
- the funeral, tangi or memorial
- flights to the funeral, tangi or memorial — or refunds if you need to cancel a flight to attend
- losing family income — ongoing income support and some one-off payments.
Financial help if someone dies
Financial support options — Te Hokinga ā Wairua | End of Life Service
Find out if there is a prepaid funeral or money set aside
The executor can check if the person who died set up a way to pay for the funeral or memorial. This is usually a:
- prepaid funeral trust or insurance plan — contact the company to give them the required information and access the money
- joint account with their partner — they’ll have access to the money in that account, and it might be an option for helping with the costs.
Use money from the deceased person’s bank account
When a bank account holder dies, the bank will freeze their accounts. However, funds can be released to pay for the funeral.
You do not need to be the executor or administrator of the deceased’s estate. You also do not need to wait for probate or letters of administration to be granted. Contact the person’s bank to apply for the funeral costs to be paid.
Can I pay for a funeral from the deceased person’s bank account — Citizens Advice Bureau
Ways to reduce costs for a funeral, tangi or memorial
You may be able to cut down on the costs by doing some things yourselves, such as:
- using flowers from your garden
- doing the catering yourselves or have people bring a plate
- having a family member or friend be the celebrant.
What are some more affordable options for a funeral? — Citizens Advice Bureau
Register the death
The death needs to be registered within 3 days of the burial or cremation.
Confirming and registering the death — Community Law
Register the death and get certificates — Te Hokinga ā Wairua | End of Life Service.
Using a funeral director
The funeral director will:
- register the death for you
- organise the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death.
Not using a funeral director
If you’re not using a funeral director, you’ll need to register the death with Births, Deaths and Marriages yourself.
It’s free to register a death.
Registering the death and getting a death certificate — Community Law
Get a death certificate
Once the death is registered, you can get a death certificate. There is a cost for this.
You’ll need the death certificate to work through many of the administrative and estate tasks.
Death of a firearms licence holder
If the person who died had a firearms licence, there’s a specific process to follow. This makes sure you safely and legally dispose of any:
- firearms
- other arms items
- ammunition.
Follow the process from Te Tari Pūreke | Firearms Safety Authority.
Do not, for example, go to a police station with a firearm unannounced.
Process for surrendering or transferring firearms, other arms items and ammunition
The Te Tari Pūreke | Firearms Safety Authority lists their process for:
Notify organisations
The executor or administrator handles the accounts and assets that are part of the estate.
Family and friends can help out with other accounts, but the executor or administrator should be involved and know what’s going on.
Let multiple organisations know at the same time
Use the myTrove online tool to quickly let organisations know about someone’s death. The service is free.
Use the online form to notify organisations, such as:
- government departments
- major banks
- insurance companies
- utility companies.
Notify one or more organisations of a death — myTrove
Contact government organisations
Inland Revenue — tax, student loan, child support
You can use myTrove or you can contact Inland Revenue to let them know.
Work and Income — benefits and pensions
Contact Work and Income if the person who died was being paid a benefit, NZ Super or a Veteran’s Pension.
You can find out more about updating benefit payments and bank account details on the Work and Income website.
Department of Internal Affairs — cancel a passport
To cancel the deceased’s passport, you can use myTrove or contact the Department of Internal Affairs’ passports service.
New Zealand Transport Agency — cancel a driver licence
Contact the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) to cancel the deceased’s driver licence.
Other organisations you may need to contact
Insurance and money
The executor or administrator may have already started some of these when organising the funeral, tangi or memorial. As part of dealing with the estate, they need to:
- arrange for any life or funeral insurance to be paid out
- check whether the deceased is owed any pay or superannuation from their workplace
- talk to the deceased’s bank to freeze their accounts until the will is executed, or transfer any joint accounts to the surviving account holder
- cancel any bills or accounts under the deceased’s name.
Property
Community Law explains what happens if the property was owned jointly with the person who died.
Dealing with the deceased’s property — Community Law
If the property is part of the estate, the executor or administrator starts the process of dealing with it.
Digital accounts and assets
Check if the deceased left a list of accounts and assets they have online.
If not, you’ll need to figure out which platforms to contact to close accounts.
Bank accounts, though often accessed online, are always part of the estate.
If the digital accounts or assets are valuable, they might be part of the estate — for example, they might be part of a business.
Support for you and your family
There is a range of help available to support you during this time.
Help with grieving
- Grief and loss — Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand
- Grief and loss — Healthify
- Grieving — Funeral Directors Association of NZ
- How can I help my child deal with grief? — Citizens Advice Bureau
Help for specific situations
End of Life Services has help for those who’ve lost:
- a child
- someone to suicide
- someone to murder.
When you need support — Te Hokinga ā Wairua | End of Life Service
Helplines for mental-health support
For help that’s free and available a day, a week, check:
Who to contact for more help
If you need more help or have questions about the information or services on this page, contact one of the following agencies.
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Births, Deaths and Marriages
Contact and agency details -
Inland Revenue
Contact and agency details -
Work and Income
Contact and agency details -
New Zealand Transport Agency
Contact and agency details -
Employment New Zealand
Contact and agency details
