Kapiti Coast Funeral Home

20/03/2026

17/03/2026

17/03/2026

some traditional stuff is still cool

16/03/2026

Who has the legal right to make decisions in the Will, and what happens if there is no Will

08/03/2026

The modern conundrum of scattering human ashes
With every milestone, including death, being shaped by social media, scattering ashes can become a spectacle that clashes with Māori beliefs and local bylaws.

Andrew Malcolm is interviewed on RNZ -https://www.rnz.co.nz/life/lifestyle/the-modern-conundrum-of-scattering-human-ashes ,
jump across and listen to Andrew's interview here and or read the article on their website via the link above

Māori perspective on death - (from article)
Te Rerenga Wairua (Cape Reinga), New Zealand’s picturesque northern tip, has attracted its share of unwanted grievers scattering ashes, says Ngāti Kuri kaumātua Graeme Neho. The local iwi issued a public notice in 2023 asking visitors not to bring human ashes for scattering, citing Māori culture that doesn’t mix the dead with the living. Besides drawing 120,000 plus visitors each year, the cape is held as a spiritual place of transition with Te Rerenga Wairua meaning a “leaping place of the spirits”.

03/03/2026

How Do I Get The Death Certificate
Mar 4, 2026

One of the most common questions early on in funeral arrangements is how do I get a death certificate? And one of the most common misconceptions is the doctor themselves produced the death certificate. In fact, a lot of GPs will actually say to you, I will sign the death certificate. They are not signing the death certificate.

https://kapiticoastfuneralhome.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Notification-of-Death-for-Registration-Adobe-Form.pdf

https://kapiticoastfuneralhome.co.nz/forms

25/02/2026

So what happens if someone dies with no will? In New Zealand, it's quite straightforward. There's a thing called the Administration Act, and in that Act, if the estate's under 40,000, then the legal next of kin can look after things. So the legal next of kin is the spouse or the partner if they're a legal partner, the adult children if there's no spouse or partner, and if there are no adult children, then the parents of the deceased.

It can get more complicated, but that's why you need to talk to your funeral director if you have any issues. So if you want to know a little bit more, click our link in our bio.
https://kapiticoastfuneralhome.co.nz/so-what-happens-when-someone-dies-without-a-will/

23/02/2026

what happens when the doctor can't sign a certificate, when the death is unexpected, when they don't know the cause of death?

20/02/2026

So, we've talked in previous videos about when there's an expected death, what you need to do.

But what happens if the death is unexpected!

Where a doctor can't sign a certificate when they don't know what the cause of death is? Well, that's when the coroner gets involved. And the coroner, in turn, has agents who are the police, and the police then call us.

So, if there's a death and it's unexpected, the doctor says he can't sign a certificate, that's when you would probably call the ambulance or the police directly. Either or, they will call each other and attend the scene. Some people get a bit intimidated with the police there, but they do need to secure that scene and any evidence that's there in case there's any foul play.

But the reality is most of the time there's not foul play, it's just we don't know why they've died, so the coroner does need to get involved. The police, in turn, organise one of their contractors, it might be us, if it's local, to attend, and then we will organise with the coroner's office to get a clearance to them being able to bring that person back. It's all under the coroner's care, everything's looked after, and if you're unsure or don't know what to do, the first call is always ring the funeral director.

In our case, Kapari Coast Funeral Home here in Paraparaumu.
So if you want to know more, click the link in the bio. www.kapitifuneral.co.nz
email: office@kapitifunerl.co.nz
Ring 04 2985168