Let the right people know about the death

End of Life Service lists who to contact after someone dies. This includes details for when someone dies:

• in a hospital, hospice or rest home
• at home
• unexpectedly
• overseas.

Let people know: first days — Te Hokinga ā Wairua | End of Life Service

What to do in the first days

• Take time off work.
• Look for a will.
• Find grief support.
• Check the costs involved and how to reduce them.
• Organise the funeral and burial or cremation.

First days — Te Hokinga ā Wairua | End of Life Service

When there are enduring powers of attorney

• Tell the attorneys — if there was an enduring power of attorney (EPA or EPOA) for personal care and welfare or property in place.
• Tell the family court — if a welfare guardian or property manager had been appointed. Also, if a personal order or an order to administer property had been granted.

Check for financial help

Have a look at the different options for keeping costs down and if they match your situation.

Financial support options — Te Hokinga ā Wairua | End of Life Service

Within 3 days of the burial or cremation — register the death

Check who registers the death and how to do it.

End of Life Service also explains death certificates and the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death. Both of these may be needed when working through the next steps.

Register the death — Te Hokinga ā Wairua | End of Life Service

How to work through the next steps

Check how to work through the affairs of the person who died. For example, these can be:

• things you can do now
• finding grief support to help you and others through the process
• checking if they were a firearms licence holder
• there’s a will — what happens
• there’s no will — what happens
• small estates
• beneficiaries
• administering the estate.

Working through affairs — Te Hokinga ā Wairua | End of Life Service

Death of a firearms licence holder

If the person who died had a firearms licence, there’s a specific process to follow to get rid of the:

• firearms
• arms items
• ammunition.

Process for surrendering or transferring firearms, arms items and ammunition

The Te Tari Pūreke | Firearms Safety Authority lists their process for:

• when a firearms licence holder diesFirearms Safety Authority
• how to surrender or transfer arms items belonging to a deceased holder of a firearms licenceFirearms Safety Authority
• disposal of firearms, arms items and ammunitionFirearms Safety Authority.

More information — firearms surrender or transfer

Contact us — Te Tari Pūreke | Firearms Safety Authority