Cremation

In New Zealand, cremation is now a much more widely accepted alternative to burial. There are a number of crematorium locations in the Wellington region.

Our preferred cremation provider is Harbour City Crematorium, as we believe they provide the most comprehensive service available. Each crematorium has different levels of facilities, we are careful to keep you fully informed of what the standards of each crematorium are.


Memorial Options for Cremated Remains

After a person has been cremated, what to do with the cremated remains is sometimes overlooked. Some families know exactly what they want to do because the person who has died gave instructions or expressed certain wishes about their preferences. Not every family is ready to do this in the days immediately following the funeral service. However, it is important to make a decision about the cremated remains to bring closure to the funeral arrangements at some point.

To view our selection of urns please download the Urns (PDF) or if you would like to put a small portion into a piece of Jewellery download the Jewellery (PDF).

The following suggestions may be helpful in making some decisions about the memorialisation of your loved one's cremated remains.

Placing Cremated Remains in an Existing Grave

Most cemeteries permit the placing of cremated remains into an existing grave. This is done in conjunction with the relevant council cemetery, and the family member or person who owns the grave.

Memorial Gardens

Most cemeteries have attractive commemorative areas in rose gardens, native shrub gardens, wall niches or other features. An inscribed plaque identifies the memorial position where the cremated remains have been placed. The memorial positions and plaques can be organised through the preferred cemetery.

Scattering Cremated Remains

The deceased may have expressed the wish for their cremated remains to be scattered somewhere that has significance for them and/or their family. Arrangements can be made to have cremated remains scattered at sea or by air or by the beach or in a forest as required. This can be done by family members themselves and permission is not usually required for this to happen.

Keeping Cremated Remains

A family may choose to keep the cremated remains for a couple of years. These can be kept in the container provided or placed into a more decorative container. A wide variety of ceramic, timber, terracotta and pottery urns are available at any of our funeral homes.


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