Burial involves buying a burial plot and paying an interment fee to cover the cost of digging the grave and continuing maintenance. Usually buying a memorial of some kind such as a headstone and the "unveiling" of it is an important part of grieving. In New Zealand burials are limited by law to official cemeteries or Maori burial grounds. Information on Whangarei District Council's cemeteries is available through this link or we can provide information.

Burial at sea is allowed in specially designated coastal areas. A special casket is required which is usually buried from either a boat or a helicopter. If this is of particular interest we can give you further information and make arrangements.

Cremation provides greater flexibility as the final resting place for ashes is not restricted to specific places of burial. Ashes can be buried in a cemetery or special ashes memorial areas. Some like to scatter them on a family burial plot or property, a memorial garden, at sea, or in a favourite place.

Cremation is something people often wonder about. The casket, with the body inside, is put into a cremator. Cremation occurs at very high temperatures and takes from two to four hours. There is only room for one casket at a time and all the ashes are taken from the cremator before reuse, so it is not possible for ashes to be confused or mixed with others. A set of careful procedures governs cremation to ensure you receive the correct ashes for subsequent care. Morris & Morris offers a choice of urns for storing ashes.