The increased cost of funerals

Many Kiwi families are struggling to pay for funerals as the government grant doesn’t come close to covering all of the costs, RNZ reports. Richard Fullard, vice president of the Funeral Directors Association, says the funeral grant has not been adjusted for 20 years. In New Zealand, the cost of a simple cremation is about $6,000 and burial is about $8,000, Fullard says. The government’s funeral grant is currently around $2,280 and doesn’t cover the cost of a death certificate.