Before The Funeral

Burial or Cremation?

During your first contact with Lamb & Hayward, our funeral director will ask you whether the person who has died wished to be buried or cremated. The choice – burial or cremation – determines which kind of medical certificate we are legally required to obtain.

Burial

Lamb & Hayward arranges all the details for the final resting place, and can advise you on the availability of Upright Headstone or Plaque areas in all local cemeteries. Burials can be arranged in most cemeteries either in existing graves or in new plots. We provide a grave marker in the form of a wooden cross when a new plot is purchased. Cemeteries will generally allow two interments in the same plot, so you may wish to decide on single or double depth as part of the funeral arrangements.

Cremation

In New Zealand cremation is now a widely accepted alternative to burial. Lamb & Hayward attends to all the requirements for cremation at our own crematorium, located in Wigram.

The ashes will generally be available after 48 hours. The funeral director will assist you in discussing the next steps in relation to the ashes. There are a number of options as they can be scattered, interred in a range of locations, or divided into portions and placed in urns. We can assist in sending ashes to other destinations in New Zealand and overseas.

You may have noticed the wording ‘followed by private cremation’ in funeral notices. This refers to the time when the hearse moves off from the funeral service accompanied by either the funeral director only, or invited family and friends. The choice of whether you wish to travel to the crematorium is always up to you; however in New Zealand it is not generally possible to watch a cremation.

Contact Us

Phone 0800 99 22 00
to book an appointment

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