Comprehensive funeral 
planning guide & FAQs

Things You Should Think About

After the death of a family member or close friend, it is important to know that you can depend on experienced, professional people to make all the arrangements to ensure the funeral flows smoothly.

It is important that you choose the funeral ceremony that is right for you and your family. Academy Funerals can guide you through the choices available, and will take care of all the details. Our caring team of professionals will liaise with clergy and celebrants, doctors, hospitals, government departments, coroners and other officials, crematoriums and cemetery authorities so you don’t have to worry.

We can also arrange music and musicians including an organist, place notices in the newspapers, and provide vehicles, order family flowers, organise the audio or video/DVD recording of the service, arrange the placement of ashes and memorials, and anything else you require.

Making The Right Choices

Academy Funerals can explain the choices available:

• The different types of ceremony, religious or otherwise.
• The best location for the service: a church or chapel, at home, at the graveside.
  or crematorium.
• Who should officiate: a priest, minister, celebrant or family members.
• Whether you want to view the deceased, and where the viewing should be.
• Whether you want to have a burial or cremation.
• Whether you want flowers or charitable donations.
• The most appropriate funeral notice.
• Casket selection.
• The order of service, the choice of music and hymns.
• Venue for a post-funeral get together and how to arrange it.
• What other professional help is available.

Taking Care Of Details

Once the choices are made, it is up to you how little or how much you want our professional and experienced staff to help with arrangements.
 We can take care of the following details:

• The registration of death and necessary documentation.
• Contacting appropriate burial or cremation authorities, as well as contacting the doctor, coroner or hospital and collection of certificates.
• Arranging national or international transportation or repatriation within New Zealand or any other country.
• Liaising with clergy or funeral celebrants, assisting with the service and organizing funeral details.
• The provision and preparation of the casket, which you can select in conjunction with our funeral director and casket book.
• Embalming to ensure hygienic preservation and natural presentation.
• Providing viewing facilities in comfortable premises.
• Ordering family flowers for the casket.
• Providing transport of your loved one to and from the funeral in our hearse.
• Preparing and placing of newspaper notices locally or internationally.
• Arranging monumental masonry for the memorial stone.
• Arranging the scattering or burial of ashes, as well as providing quality urns.

It is impossible to sum up a life story in a few minutes. However, we can tell stories and recall memories in valuable and creative ways.

A eulogy is a time where we can talk about our loved one and remember who they were. It is a summary which covers important or interesting aspects of the deceased’s life.

You might like to include important ‘milestones’ – births and marriages, significant moves and changes of career. At other times, a story or a little historical background may be appropriate. The formative years of the deceased’s life, including their childhood and schooling may also be covered and they may have had a particular spiritual outlook or a favourite book or poem which can also be included.

The eulogy should act as a springboard for others to call to mind their own special memories. So talk about your feelings for this special person – tell some stories about your experiences with him or her. Anecdotes are a special way to celebrate life – there is no reason to avoid the things that were amusing or even mildly irreverent!

Many immediate family members may understandably feel unable to speak publicly themselves, yet have important things to say. Check with them and if they want to offer a few words or a precious memory, include these too in the eulogy.

Below are some guidelines:

• Birthplace and short details of early childhood.
• Educational and sporting achievements, military service.
• Work/career.
• Marriage and family life.
• Hobbies, club memberships, charity involvement.
• Preferences in music, literature, theatre, etc.
• Characteristic words and sayings.
• Personal qualities (perhaps illustrated by stories).

People often ask how long a eulogy should be – really it should be as long or as short as you wish but normally 10 minutes (a couple of typed A4 pages) is appropriate.

At Academy Funerals, our in-house service enables us to organise photos and arrange music so that everything is ready for the service. Other items, like a favourite hat, prized trophy, tennis racquet or golf club, can all help symbolise a life. Sometimes, family members like to bring these symbolic items with them, and place them on or near the casket before or after the eulogy.

Finally, a carefully chosen piece of music can provide a pleasant reflective space after the eulogy. This may reflect the personal taste of the deceased, or simply be a track that the family find helpful for themselves.

DVD Or Photo Presentations

“A picture is worth a thousand words” – and that is often true. Many families like to display some photographs or other life symbols at the funeral service. Photographs need not be recent, provided they are characteristic of a person’s life. Sometimes, a family photo or other group shot can be just the thing to capture someone’s personality.

How Much Does A Funeral Cost?

This depends entirely on your choice of casket and additional items such as flowers, newspaper notices, cemetery or cremation fees, and catering. These form part of the account and will vary according to the choices made.The funeral firm will also charge for its services – for making all the arrangements, use of hearses and other cars, and other professional services provided.

Please talk to us at Academy Funerals so that we can provide a service to suit both your needs and your financial circumstances. We are more than happy to provide a free no obligation quote.

If you have any financial worries, please let us know as soon as possible. There are agencies we can refer you to, such as Work and Income, where a funeral grant may be available depending on your level of assets and income. If the death was caused by an accident, ACC may be able to help.

Other entitlements are available for ex-service personnel and their families.

How Can I Pay If The Estate Is Still Tied Up?

When a death occurs, bank accounts in the name of the deceased are frozen and, in some cases, cannot be accessed until after Probate is granted. To ensure ongoing access by a partner, it is better for the bank accounts to be in joint names. When settlement of an estate is delayed by lack of Probate, families should pay the funeral account by the due date and recover the funds from the estate when it is settled.

Most funeral firms send the account directly to the family and, if required, will send a copy to the solicitor.

The person making the arrangements with the funeral director remains responsible for paying the account.

Payment

We will always sit down and discuss the Estimate of Financial Details. This includes receiving instructions concerning funeral arrangements, personal care and attention of deceased, embalming/mortuary care, obtaining the Medical Cause of Death from the Doctor, preparing necessary documentation, attending to registration of death, provision of funeral home facilities and services, further transfers, paying disbursements and conducting other services in accordance with instructions.

Payment will be required within 14 days on date of invoice. A copy will be emailed to you and a hard copy posted.

At Academy Funerals we are proud to be able to accommodate most budgets. There are Funeral Grants available through ACC and WINZ, and we are happy to advise you of the options that may be available to you.