A total of 37,722 deaths were registered in New Zealand last year.
In death, like in life, you expect those caring for your loved ones to operate at the highest ethical level and standards.
Sadly recent high-profile funeral director arrests in Auckland, and a case we’ve warned about recently in the Waikato, suggest not all those tasked with helping families at their time of need are meeting this level.
As the Funeral Directors Association of New Zealand, representing around three-quarters of funeral homes, but certainly not those involved in these sad stories, we think this should change.
In 2020, following a time working with the Law Commission and the Ministry of Health on proposed regulation, we introduced a set of formal standards. These standards, which apply to all our member firms, support our long-standing code of ethics and set out measurable behaviours and technical requirements with minimum levels of care.
Companies that are not members of the Funeral Directors Association, or other associations such as the NZ Embalmers Association, have no requirement to uphold standards such as ours.
We are regularly seeing firms springing up to offer services such as “disposal-only”. These firms often operate with unqualified staff and avoid membership of our association and the standards we promote.
But these firms are still looking after people’s loved ones. They still need to show basic human decency. They should not be excused from those extremely important minimum levels of care.
So what should families expect from someone helping them in their time of grief?
The first principle that association members must adhere to is “putting the family first”.
To support this principle, members are required to provide written estimates and contracts and provide families with time to make informed decisions. They must act with good taste and dignity and must not engage in any conduct that is likely to deceive, mislead or harm the client families they serve.
We believe passionately in the value of a meaningful farewell for families and recent research conducted with Grief Centre showed nearly 80% of families say attending a funeral has a positive effect on their grief journey. Our members must have an informed understanding of the bereavement process and of cultural values and needs and work with the family to deliver support in a way that best supports their grieving.
A very important second principle covers “care of the deceased”.
This unique perspective means our members show utmost respect for the tūpāpaku (body) throughout the whole process of care. We are very specific about how this care should be implemented. For example, transport of the tūpāpaku must be discreet and dignified, members must have access to a qualified embalmer when preparing the deceased, and Health (Burial) regulations must be followed.
The standards also cover support of the association and honouring the funeral profession. Members work together to support our vision of a New Zealand where meaningful farewells are valued as an essential part of healthy grieving. They commit to ongoing education and to continue to uphold our ethical principles and standards.
Former funeral director Fiona Bakulich pleaded guilty last month to mishandling human remains and obtaining by deception. Photo / Michael Craig
Members also have an obligation to provide a quality service that can be relied upon and trusted in times of need. They must act honestly, provide competent personnel and quality facilities to maintain public confidence in the industry.
To support these standards our association has invested in a paid National Office team which inspects, monitors and enforces member performance against them. They keep us up-to-date with the latest legislation and best practice requirements and liaise on our behalf with government stakeholders and agencies.
This includes proactive work to improve funeral outcomes for all New Zealanders. For example, we are currently finalising our Ahu strategy, which adopts a holistic and practical approach to engagement on mortuary waste issues with iwi, hapū and whānau, integrating Māori values and beliefs.
The team also engages with the public, providing information and resources to help families know what to expect from a funeral director. Last year, this included publishing on our website a breakdown of the typical costs for elements of a funeral and tips on how you can work with a funeral director to remember your loved one in a meaningful way whatever your budget.
We know that even with our standards, sometimes things can go wrong. That’s why we also offer the only funeral industry complaints service. Our complaints process follows robust rules with the ability for us to require recourse to families, where warranted, and for an external review of any findings. There is no cost to the public for this service.
Running a funeral business requires compassion, integrity and respect and we know there are non-member firms who operate with that intent. But we say good intent alone is not enough.
Membership of an association body that requires and monitors standards of care is essential for consumer protection. As the family using that service ask yourself – what does your loved one deserve?
For now, the simple test families can use to assure themselves they are dealing with a firm that will deliver the highest possible ethical care is to check the firm you are working with is a member of the Funeral Directors Association of New Zealand.
