Cost of dying in New Zealand out of reach for too many - Editorial

Funeral director Allen Pukepuke. Photo / Sylvie Whinray

EDITORIAL

We talk a lot about how the cost of living in New Zealand is through the roof – but we also need to talk about the skyrocketing cost of dying.

Burial costs in some regions of New Zealand have risen by 48% since last year, forcing many grieving families to turn to Givealittle pages and other ways of finding funds to cover funeral fees after an unexpected death of a loved one.

In some cases, families are embalming their loved ones to delay the funeral, while they try to find the money to pay for it.

Such is the case of Julia Maree Maggs’ family. She died suddenly in hospital, after spending years struggling with physical and mental health issues. Her husband Dave, who lost his job earlier this year, is desperate to give her the funeral she wanted.

As Herald reporter Emma Gleason wrote last week, Julia wanted to be buried, not cremated, and the family is now trying to find the money to carry out her final wish. They are looking at having to spend between $18,000 and $20,000 for a burial and funeral, depending on the plot.

Julia will need a custom coffin; a larger size with more handles for pallbearers. The family is one of many who’ve turned to Givealittle to crowdfund for funeral costs. Julia’s sister Debbie is also trying to withdraw some of the money in her KiwiSaver, in addition to the funds they hope to raise from donations.

“We’ve had to embalm Juls and postpone the funeral until we know how much money we’ve got,” she explained. “It’s all so damn hard.”

Julia Maree Maggs (nee Steenson) and husband Dave, who wants to give her the burial she asked for. The Steenson family has turned to Givealittle to raise money for the funeral, and many Kiwis are struggling with the cost of dying in New Zealand. Photo / Getty Images (main image)

Michelle Pukepuke, co-owner of Haven Falls Funeral Home, says she has noticed Givelittle pages have become more common since the pandemic.

“And a lot of whānau are actually giving the bank accounts for koha,” she tells the Herald. “Covid changed a lot of things; it became more of an individual responsibility, rather than collective.”

The funeral industry is one of many that has been grappling with the rising costs of staying in business.

“There’s been some pretty rapid increases in the funeral environment,” Pukepuke said.

She says everything has increased in cost. “There’s not one thing that hasn’t,” she says. “Printing is out the gate in some of the regions.”

Funeral Directors Association chief executive Gillian Boyes has expressed concern that council cost increases were “particularly high in lower socio-economic communities such as Wairoa”.

Due to population growth, the number of deaths in New Zealand is gradually increasing over time, meaning more families having to find the funds to hold funerals .

Work And Income can help in some circumstances. They may supply a funeral grant for up to $2559.20 if the deceased’s estate is unable to pay; you can qualify for this without being on a benefit, and the money doesn’t need to be reimbursed.

Emergency loans are offered by several outfits, but have raised concerns in the past for saddling families with debt.

“It all comes down to the needs of families,” adds Allen Pukepuke, co-owner of Haven Falls.

“You see the stress of [people who think] ‘I’ve got no idea what to do, I’ve got no money, I can’t process this as well as the cost’.”

At a time of extreme grief, with emotions already running high, stressing about money adds unnecessary pressure to these families, who worry about not being able to honour their loved ones the way they believe they should.

While there are a number of avenues that can be taken to help grieving families cope and address the costs, the reality is that funeral prices continue to rise and many of us simply cannot afford them.

We’ve got to bring down the cost of living so we can also bring down the cost of dying.