Hart Funerals general manager Gary Taylor said the funeral home embalmed Brugman in August, so if his family should pop up from anywhere they could spend some time with him.
Taylor said Brugman falls into a "grey area" of the legislation. He said the funeral home needed somebody, who was legally entitled to, to give them instructions on what to do next.
As the law stands, if a person dies without next of kin and without a will, someone can't simply step in to deal with the estate or the body.
An application must be made to the High Court, at a cost, for a public executor to be appointed.
The Funeral Directors Association of New Zealand has made a submission to the select committee on the Births, Deaths, Marriages and Relationships Registration Bill.
"On the death of a person, there needs to be a person or agency with the authority to dispose of the deceased. In the event this does not occur, who is responsible for this person?
"The High Court has the ability to appoint the Public Trust, but this must be applied for. The gap in legislation is around who applies to the High Court," the submission states.
Association president Stephen Dil said whenever next of kin can't be identified, it should default to a public trustee or agency to make the application to the High Court.
Taylor said this situation was not unusual but generally family popped up within weeks, not seven months. He thought it would become more common as families dispersed more.
He said the funeral home has accepted an offer from Perpetual Guardian, which upon hearing about Brugman, offered to apply to the High Court to execute Brugman's estate and put him to rest at its own cost.
The company has also added it's support to the Funeral Directors Association's bid to change the law.
