Every profession adopts its own ‘in house’ terminology. We’ve created a local glossary to define regularly used terms associated with death and funerals.
Here is a printable version of the glossary if you need it.
| Advanced Care Directive | A patients’ care plan that records their medical and end of life choices. |
| Arrangement Meeting | The meeting between family and funeral director to plan the funeral, this can be at our offices, at your home or wherever is most convenient for you. |
| Ashes | The remains of a body after cremation which are contained in an urn. We can deliver the ashes, personally, to your home usually within 24 hours. |
| Assisted Dying | Recent legislation that allows an eligible, terminally ill patient to end their life under medical supervision. |
| Autopsy or Post Mortem | A medical examination performed by a Pathologist for the Coroner to ascertain cause of death. Locally, usually performed at Wellington Regional Hospital. |
| Back Fill for Burial | The communal and affirming action of filling in the grave by family and friends. Both Karori | Makara and Whenua Tapu cemeteries provide the tools. |
| Bereavement Room | Rooms set aside at Wellington Regional Hospital especially for families to spend valuable time with someone who has died at Wellington Hospital. |
| Book of Remembrance | A book for those attending the funeral to sign with contact details and messages. Also referred to as a Memorial or Remembrance Book. We suggest this book is made available for friends, family and colleagues visiting your home, prior to the funeral. |
| Burial Plot | The grave purchased to inter the body. Can be single, double or triple depth for spouses or family members.
Can only be single depth for a Natural Burial. |
| Celebrant | If the family does not have an affiliation with church and clergy, a Celebrant may lead the funeral ceremony – the content may be secular or have some religious content.
(You can choose to lead the funeral yourselves instead, if capable). |
| Casket | Or coffin, generally interchangeable terms. |
| Casket Spray | Name given to the floral arrangement on top of the coffin. |
| Chapel | A smaller, more compact version of a church or place of worship. |
| Clergy | A representative from your church who leads the funeral service. |
| Coffin | Or casket, generally interchangeable terms. |
| Committal Service | The part of the funeral ceremony when the officiant commits the deceased either to cremation or burial – commonly with the phrase ‘Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust’ |
| Compassionate Airfare | On application, Air New Zealand may partially reimburse close family members, who have travelled for a funeral, for their flight costs on compassionate grounds. |
| Coroner | In the case of an unexpected, violent or suspicious death, the role of the Coroner is to establish when, where, how and why the death happened and make preventative recommendations accordingly. |
| Cremation | When a body, contained in a coffin or on a shroud bearer, is taken to the crematorium and is incinerated at a high heat (around 900°C). This process takes about 2 – 3 hours. The remaining bone fragments (everything else vaporises) are then pulverised to a coarse sand-like consistency and are referred to as ashes (or cremains). The ashes are then transferred into an urn. |
| Cup of Tea – COT | Colloquial term for the refreshments served after the funeral – an informal opportunity to continue connections and conversations. |
| Death Certificate | Issued in hard copy by Births, Deaths and Marriages (a Department of Internal Affairs). Must be registered within 3 days after burial or cremation. The record is publicly available. |
| Direct Cremation or Burial | When family (or the deceased) chooses not to have any form of funeral and just be buried or cremated. |
| Disinter or Exhume | A body is removed from a gravesite to be relocated. Permission must be granted by the Ministry of Health. |
| Donations | Money given to support a charity chosen by the deceased. ‘In lieu of flowers, donations may be made be made to……’ |
| Dressing | Family has the option to dress the deceased themselves. We offer guidance and support for families to do this. |
| Embalming | Akin to a surgical procedure performed by an Embalmer. Solvents, preservatives and additives are injected into the body’s arterial system, flushing the blood, and slowing down the natural process of deterioration. |
| Enduring Power of Attorney | A trusted person/s nominated to take care of your Personal Care & Welfare EPA and Property EPA should you become incapacitated. |
| Eulogy | The speeches made by family members and friends at the funeral or memorial service. |
| Executor | The person/s or organisation responsible for ensuring that the deceased’s wishes, specified in the Will, are carried out as smoothly and efficiently as possible. |
| Funeral Director | The person engaged to take care of the funeral arrangements on your behalf. |
| Family Directed Funeral | When a funeral is managed fully by the family with no or limited services provided by a funeral company. |
| First Call | The initial call made to the funeral home by a family to engage their services. |
| Funeral Home or Company | A place of business that specialises in taking care of all the funeral arrangements. |
| Funeral Insurance | An insurance policy providing financial cover for all or most funeral costs – generally paid out in a lump sum after death.
Always check the fine print on these policies. |
| Grave Side Service | When the funeral ceremony is conducted entirely at the graveside. |
| Green Burial | Adheres to the principals of ‘Natural Burials’, no embalming and an approved natural coffin. Also referred to as Eco or Natural Burial. |
| Headstone | A permanent monument to mark the grave – can be made of marble, stone or concrete. |
| Hearse | The vehicle used on the day of the funeral to transfer the deceased. You are welcome to provide your own suitably lengthed vehicle if you prefer. |
| Interment | The burial of the body or ashes at a cemetery. |
| Lowering Device | A mechanical device used to steadily lower the coffin into the grave should family prefer not to do this physically themselves with ropes or straps. |
| Medical Certificate of Cause of Death | A form completed by the attending Doctor or qualified Health Practitioner stating the time & cause of death. Not to be confused with the Death Certificate. |
| Memorial Service | A ceremony, after the deceased has either been buried or cremated so no body is present. Timing is more flexible for a memorial service. |
| Monumental Mason | A company that produces and installs permanent plaques and headstones for cemetery burials. |
| Mortuary | The facility for the examination, preparation or embalming of a body. |
| Natural Burial | Alternative to conventional burial; the body is buried at a single depth, unembalmed, dressed in natural fibres, in a biodegradable coffin, overplanted with a tree, enabling natural decomposition. |
| Newspaper Notice | The notice that appears in the death section of the printed newspapers. For an extra fee, the notice can also appear online. |
| Niche | A repository for ashes in a wall at a cemetery. Usually also has a plaque with the deceased’s details. |
| Obituary | The publication of a notable deceased’s biographical events in a newspaper. |
| Open Coffin | When family choose to have the lid off the coffin at the funeral for people to view. Conscious decisions need to be made about body care. |
| Photo Show | A digital compilation of photographs or video clips screened at a funeral service or during refreshments |
| Pall Bearers | The people who carry the coffin at a funeral. Depending on the handles (individual or rail) 4 to 8 people can be involved. |
| Post Mortem or Autopsy | A medical examination performed by a Pathologist for the Coroner to ascertain the cause of an unexplained of death. |
| Pre Arranged Funeral | When someone proactively details decisions about their funeral wishes and choices. See our Easy Peasy Funeral Plan. |
| Pre Paid Funeral | Deciding to set money aside in advance for a funeral in a recognised scheme. Ensure this is secure and does not incur unnecessary administration fees. |
| Probate | Before a Will can be executed an application needs to be made to the High Court to ensure that the Will is authentic and all financial burdens and taxes are settled. |
| Repatriation | The transfer of a body to their home country if they have died overseas. |
| Service sheets | Printed programmes or Orders of Service given to those attending the funeral. |
| Transfer | The body is collected from the place of death and brought to the funeral home or family home. |
| Urn | The vessel containing the ashes of the deceased after cremation.
Any appropriately sized receptacle can be used. |
| Viewing | Visiting the deceased at the funeral home. |
| Wake | Historically a gathering in the home before the funeral, now refers to the gathering after the funeral service. |
| Will | The legal instructions provided by the deceased about their funeral wishes and distribution of their assets and liabilities. |
