Kapiti Coast Funeral Home

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

17/02/2026

17/02/2026

You may want to check your loved ones grave memorial decortions at Paraparaumu and Waikanae Cemeteries'

Following the strong winds experienced over the past few months, we have noticed a significant increase in grave adornments—such as artificial flowers, glass jars, plastic containers, ceramic vases, and similar items—being blown around the cemetery grounds.
These displaced items create several concerns. They hinder the work of our lawn-mowing contractor, detract from the overall appearance of the cemetery, and, most importantly, pose a safety risk to visitors, particularly where broken glass is involved.
To help maintain a safe, tidy, and respectful environment for all, we ask that you carefully consider the placement and type of adornments used on graves. Please refer to the relevant section of our Cemetery Code of Practice above, which outlines our policy regarding grave adornments, before making any decisions.
We are grateful for your understanding and cooperation in helping us care for the cemetery and all those who visit it.

17/02/2026

Alan Wolfelt, an amazing psychologist from the States, has a host of care centres across the States for mental health, and a lot of them are focused specifically on grief. And he actually says you have to say goodbye at least three times in three different ways. And a good funeral does that, and it could be a combination of you sit with the deceased while they die, there's one, but it's not three.

So if that's all you do, then your grief journey is still hampered. It's still possible, but you're making it really hard for yourself. But if you can't sit with the person when they die, what could you do instead? You come and see them, sit with them in the casket, spend some time.

So there is always another way of doing it. If you can't do it because you're in America and you can't get back and the funeral's going to happen, if you're a visual person, why can't family take some photos or video or have a FaceTime while you're all together? So you can actually achieve some of those things. Second one, obviously the funeral itself, which is about gathering together with people who are supportive.

Sometimes funerals backfire when you have the wrong sort of funeral, and you have the people you don't want there. And it's not supportive, so it's not always do it a certain way, I'm not saying there's a formula for it, but definitely you need to say goodbye in some way. And that's why we have a third tradition of doing things like unveiling memorials or scattering of ashes further down the track, so this is a chance to get back together and renew the grief so that you can move another step on.

Now an inflated saying is, you have to pause so you can step backwards and reflect. By pausing and stepping backwards you can launch forward.

14/02/2026

So when someone dies not at home, who do we need to notify? So death not at home really means going to hospital or... Rest home? Yep, or hospice, any of those uses. And so usually the person in the institution, the organiser, the caregiver, the nurse, they'll be the one that will ring the doctor. So we don't usually have to do that as family.

12/02/2026

So, when someone dies not at home, who do we need to notify? So, death not at home really means going to hospital or... Rest home? Yep, or hospice, any of those uses. And so usually the person in the institution, the organiser, the caregiver, the nurse, they'll be the one that will ring the doctor. So we don't usually have to do that as family.

But sometimes the first person you would ring because it's expected is the funeral director. And they might ask you, has the doctor been notified yet? Sometimes they haven't. So, they'll give you the cues, they'll give you the questions to ask.

And they'll talk about, what time would you like us to come? And of course, your family is that really important people to notify, making sure they've got an option to be there. Some people think, no, no, we don't want to tell him, we'll tell him after. But they really should have that chance to be there if they can.

So, what happens if it's like three o'clock in the morning? Yeah, ring the funeral director. That's what we will talk you through it. The doctor probably can't come at that time of the night, but that's fine.

We can coordinate coming in the morning when it suits family and suits the rest home or the whole institution.

04/02/2026

When someone dies at home what should you do

https://kapiticoastfuneralhome.co.nz/blogs/

04/02/2026

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