Some individuals find comfort in entrusting their family with funeral arrangements, while others prefer to take a proactive approach by planning and even pre-paying for their funeral in advance. This ensures their wishes are honoured and alleviates both emotional and financial stress on their loved ones during a difficult time.
There Are Many Advantages in Planning Ahead
- Ensures Your Wishes Are Honoured: Preplanning allows you to make decisions about your funeral service, ensuring your preferences for music, readings, and rituals are respected.
- Prevents Family Disagreements: Making arrangements in advance helps prevent potential conflicts or uncertainty among family members regarding your final wishes.
- Gives You Peace of Mind: Knowing everything is arranged according to your wishes allows you to focus on living life fully, without worrying about the future.
- Allows Time for Thoughtful Decision-Making: Preplanning removes the pressure of making important decisions in a time of grief, allowing your family to focus on honouring and remembering you.
- Provides Emotional Comfort to Loved Ones: Your family can take comfort in knowing that they are carrying out your wishes, reducing the stress of making arrangements during a difficult time.
Pre Planning Meeting
A Pre-Planning meeting offers you the opportunity to explore and document the many funeral options available today. This meeting can be held in the comfort and privacy of our premises or in your own home—whichever suits you best. During the meeting, your preferences will be discussed, documented, and costed accordingly. These arrangements can be left with our funeral director to keep on file.
While every effort will be made to honour your wishes as recorded, please note that your next of kin or executor retains the legal authority to amend or override these plans if necessary at the time of need.
We strongly encourage you to share your funeral wishes with your family and let them know that you have made pre-arrangements, so they are aware of your decisions and intentions in advance.
Pre-planning a Funeral / tangihanga means that you choose the type and style of funeral service you want and decide how much you want to invest in advance.
Some important issues for you to consider are:
- Whether the service will be private or open to the public.
- Whether you want to be buried or cremated.
- Location of the service (e.g., funeral home chapel, church, private venue).
- Who will officiate the service (e.g., celebrant, minister, family member).
- Which cemetery or crematorium you prefer.
- Your choice of style of coffin or casket.
- Your choice of flowers, music, and other symbols.
- Would you want a photo presentation or video tribute.
- Whether the service will be livestreamed or recorded for those unable to attend.
- Any other special features you would like included in the service.
- Who would you like to read the eulogy/tributes – would you allow open tributes.
- Placing death and funeral notices in newspapers.
- The type of hearse you may require.
- Handling of ashes (if cremation) – burial, scattering, or keeping in a special place.
- How much you wish to invest in your funeral.
Pre-Payment Options
Pre-paying for a funeral is also something we can help with. Having a funeral pre-arranged or pre-paid can provide peace of mind that matters will be taken care of without being a burden on others in the family. For more information, visit: www.thefuneraltrust.co.nz