Information on Funerals
National Emergency Alert Level 4
KUA RĀHUI TE MOTU
Produced by Ministry of Health
When someone dies in your whanau this is what you must do. Straight away phone your local Police station and tell them of the death. You can ask to speak with the Police Iwi Liaison Officer.
Pick one whānau member only, to talk with the Police and Health Providers to take care of everything.
Find out if your Māori community, iwi, hapū and whānau have set up a local ‘kaiwhakarite’, someone who can help you during this time, then call them to ask what to do.
Contact your loved ones Doctor, Hauora, or a Public Health Official.
If you know how your loved one died make sure you tell the Police what it was.
If your loved one had died from COVID-19 then you must tell the Police, they will tell you what to do next.
If you don’t know what your loved one has died of, a post-mortem will have to be done.
Phone a local funeral director to sort out burial or cremation. If you don’t know one your Police Iwi Liaison will help you.
When you have chosen a funeral director, they will come and get your loved one. They will be wearing masks and gloves and dressed in white overalls to keep themselves safe.
Only 2 members of your whanau are allowed to go to the funeral home.
Your loved one must be buried or cremated as quickly as possible. Your funeral director will work with you on this.
If it can be done your loved one may be kept in storage (in a big fridge) until after the Level 4 Alert has been taken off.
IMPORTANT
Your Tūpāpaku could be contagious, so please, everyone in your whare must not have a lot of contact with them. Get ready as your time with them will be short.
Cremation
Although you may not be used to cremation it may have to be an option you consider, especially if you are wanting to return your loved one to their whānau urupā once we recover.
Be prepared to potentially not have your loved-one’s ashes returned until after the pandemic.
Honouring your loved one.
Once whānau know the time of the burial you may want to hold a service at that same time in your own home with those whānau you are isolating with.
You may also choose to livestream this service with other whānau and friends.
Once we recover from this pandemic, your whānau may want to come together to honour your loved one. If your whānau member was cremated, you may want to bury their ashes at a whānau urupā. If they were buried immediately, you may choose to hold a service at the burial grounds. These are only some of the ways you may choose to remember your lost loved one.
Getting support
If you don’t know what your loved one has died of a post-mortem will have to be done.
Phone a local funeral director to sort out burial or cremation. If you don't know one your Police Iwi Liaison will help you.
When you have chosen a funeral director, they will come and get your loved one. They will be wearing masks and gloves and dressed in white overalls to keep themselves safe.
Only 2 members of your whānau are allowed to go to the funeral home.
Your loved one must be buried or cremated as quickly as possible. Your funeral director will work with you on this. If it can be done your loved one may be kept in storage (in a big fridge) until after the Level 4 Alert has been taken off.
