Customs
What flowers are appropriate for a funeral or sympathy in New Zealand?
Flowers are a standard, widely accepted part of modern New Zealand funeral planning, alongside music, programmes and photo displays.
Details
| Topic | What we know | Source and date checked |
|---|---|---|
| Tangihanga | During a tangihanga (Māori funeral), mourners wear a wreath of kawakawa greenery (pare kawakawa) around the head, which has become a widely recognised symbol of the tangi itself. |
Funeral directors in Auckland and what they say about flowers
Places people often send flowers to in Auckland: funeral directors, with what we know about sending flowers there.
What each funeral director's own website says about flowers, summarised in our words, with a link to the page and the date we checked. A to Z, not a ranking.
- Ann's Funeral Home and Cremations
Lists floral arrangements as an optional add-on service families may wish to include.4
- Aroha Funerals
Coordinates flowers as part of arranging a funeral or memorial service, alongside venue, celebrant, catering and livestreaming.5
- Auckland Chinese Funeral Home (also known as Tang Ren Funeral Home)
Provides floral arrangements (wreaths, flower baskets, venue arrangements) for funerals and memorial services in line with family and cultural wishes.6
Offers custom floral wreaths as part of funeral arrangement services.7
Serves the Chinese community, as stated on its website.
- Auckland Funeral Services
Floral tributes are one of the optional extras they help arrange, alongside catering and bagpipes.8
- Budget Cremations
Nothing about flowers on its website. Ask the funeral director.
- Chinese Funeral Services
Notes flowers are one of the additional cost items (along with casket and catering) affecting overall funeral cost.9
Serves the Chinese community, as stated on its website.
- Davis Funerals
Pre-planning lets families record their wishes for venue, flowers, music and readings.10
Two Chrysler hearses have glass sides specifically so the casket spray (floral arrangement on the casket) can be viewed.11
- Dil's Funeral Services
Arranges flowers for the service, chapel, casket, or delivered to the family's home.12
After the funeral, flowers can be left with the casket, taken home, or given to a hospital or rest home; cards from floral tributes are collected for the family.12
- Epsom Funeral Home and Monumental
Flowers are listed as an optional personal-touch add-on beyond the basic funeral plan, incurring extra cost.13
Serves the Chinese community, as stated on its website.
- Ese Tatupu Funeral Directors
Nothing about flowers on its website. Ask the funeral director. Serves the Pacific community, as stated on its website.
- Faithfull Funeral Services
Mentions organising flowers, along with catering and movies, as part of the funeral service arrangements.14
- Forrest Funeral Services
Nothing about flowers on its website. Ask the funeral director.
- Fountains Funeral Home
Offers a wide range of casket sprays and flower arrangements, with farewell petals included.15
Suggests sourcing local, in-season flowers as one way to reduce a funeral's environmental impact.16
- Grahams Funeral Services
Offers advice on casket and venue flowers, can send flowers to the family home or overseas, and will liaise with the family's own florist or a recommended florist.17
- H Morris Funeral Services
Nothing about flowers on its website. Ask the funeral director.
- Halo Funeral Services
Lists floral arrangements as one of the services offered.18
- Haven Falls Funeral Home (Poutama Tangihanga)
Lists floral tributes as one of the services offered.19
Serves the Māori community, as stated on its website.
- Hibiscus Funerals
Lists floral tributes as one of their services.20
Floral tributes help personalise a service, reflecting the deceased's tastes, passions or heritage.21
- Jason Morrison Funeral Services
Nothing about flowers on its website. Ask the funeral director.
- Just Funerals
Notes that flowers, along with casket, death notice, and cremation/burial choice, affect the overall cost of the funeral package.22
- Lagoon View Funeral Services
Flowers are one of the ways offered to personalise the farewell, along with music, service sheets, catering and livestreaming.23
Serves the Māori, Samoan, Tongan and Pacific communities, as stated on its website.
- Ligaliga Funerals
Nothing about flowers on its website. Ask the funeral director. Serves the Pacific community, as stated on its website.
- Manning Funerals
Casket flower arrangements can be simple (family's own garden flowers, or flowers brought by attendees) or more elaborate, based on family preference for colour or flowers connected to the deceased.24
Pre-planning form asks for favourite flowers and favourite flower colour.25
- Marshall Funeral Directors
Orders and coordinates floral arrangements for the casket as part of service personalisation.26
- Morrisons Funeral Directors
Families can order a floral tribute through the site, fulfilled by an affiliated florist (Morrisons Florist).27
- North Shore Funerals (Nelson & Susan Elliot Funeral Services)
Funeral directors organise flowers as part of arranging the venue, catering, celebrant and service cards.28
- Papatoetoe Funeral Cottage
Nothing about flowers on its website. Ask the funeral director.
- Prime Cremations
For memorial services, can arrange flowers along with venue, celebrant, music and other elements; family can specify flower preferences via the estimate form.29
- Resthaven Funerals
Organises flowers for the casket, committal and venue as part of funeral arrangements.30
Pre-planning/wishes form lets a person record preferred flowers, or nominate donations in lieu of flowers.31
Serves the Māori, Chinese, Muslim, Jewish and Indian communities, as stated on its website.
- Rowley Funerals
Can refer families to a local floral partner for funeral flowers, or handle flowers for the service, chapel, casket or home directly.32
- Sibuns Funeral Directors
Offers a casket floral tribute as a service line item.33
Also offers committal and venue flowers.33
- Souly Funerals
Lists a local floral design business as a referral option for funeral flowers.34
- South Auckland Funeral Services
Can arrange floral casket sprays and/or floral arrangements for the funeral.35
Serves the Cook Island community, as stated on its website.
- State of Grace
Arranges flowers as part of coordinating a funeral service, alongside the celebrant and newspaper notices.36
- The Natural Funeral Company
Has an in-house florist who can prepare set floral tribute options or custom flowers chosen by the family.37
- Tipene Funerals
Pre-arranged funeral plans let a person customise the types of flowers they want for their service.38
Holds its own range of floral options on hand alongside caskets and urns.39
Serves the Tongan community, as stated on its website.
- Value Cremations
The standard direct-cremation package explicitly excludes flowers (along with viewing, catering and venue hire).40
- Vea Funeral Home
Refers families to a partner florist for casket flowers and decor rather than arranging flowers in-house.41
Serves the Tongan and Pacific communities, as stated on its website.
- Waters Funerals
Nothing about flowers on its website. Ask the funeral director.
- Windsor Funerals
Partners with an external florist to offer families a customised menu of funeral flower options.42
Funeral directors in Christchurch: see What do funeral directors in Christchurch say about flowers?
Funeral directors in Wellington region: see What do funeral directors in Wellington region say about flowers?
Good to know
- Each fact was checked on the date shown. Florists' stock changes, so check with the florist before you order.
Sources and last checked
Last checked .
- Te Ara: https://teara.govt.nz/en/death-and-dying/page-3. Checked .
- Te Ara: https://teara.govt.nz/en/tangihanga-death-customs/print. Checked .
- Go With Grace: https://gowithgrace.nz/understanding-death/funeral-planning/cultural-considerations/te-ao-maori/. Checked .
- Ann's Funeral Home and Cremations.
- Aroha Funerals.
- Auckland Chinese Funeral Home (also known as Tang Ren Funeral Home).
- Auckland Chinese Funeral Home (also known as Tang Ren Funeral Home).
- Auckland Funeral Services.
- Chinese Funeral Services.
- Davis Funerals.
- Davis Funerals.
- Dil's Funeral Services.
- Epsom Funeral Home and Monumental.
- Faithfull Funeral Services.
- Fountains Funeral Home.
- Fountains Funeral Home.
- Grahams Funeral Services.
- Halo Funeral Services.
- Haven Falls Funeral Home (Poutama Tangihanga).
- Hibiscus Funerals.
- Hibiscus Funerals.
- Just Funerals.
- Lagoon View Funeral Services.
- Manning Funerals.
- Manning Funerals.
- Marshall Funeral Directors.
- Morrisons Funeral Directors.
- North Shore Funerals (Nelson & Susan Elliot Funeral Services).
- Prime Cremations.
- Resthaven Funerals.
- Resthaven Funerals.
- Rowley Funerals.
- Sibuns Funeral Directors.
- Souly Funerals.
- South Auckland Funeral Services.
- State of Grace.
- The Natural Funeral Company.
- Tipene Funerals.
- Tipene Funerals.
- Value Cremations.
- Vea Funeral Home.
- Windsor Funerals.