Funeral Pre-Planning in South Auckland and Franklin

Pre-planning your funeral is one of the kindest things you can do for the people you love. It's not about being morbid, and it doesn't have to involve money. It's about quietly putting your wishes in writing (what you'd like, where, and how) so that when the time comes, your family isn't left guessing, arguing, or making decisions in the middle of grief.

Call Pukekohe Call Papatoetoe

Free, confidential, no obligation

At Waters Funerals, we've been helping South Auckland and Franklin families pre-plan since 2009. The conversation is free, confidential, and there's no obligation to commit to anything.

To pre-plan

2009

Helping since

Any time

Update your plan

Pre-Planning Explained

What is Funeral Pre-Planning?

Pre-planning means writing down your wishes for your own funeral, including but not limited to what kind of service you'd like, who should lead it, where it should be held, music, readings, burial or cremation, what should happen afterwards. Some people record a few key decisions. Others document every detail.

We keep it on file

Once your plan is written, we keep a confidential copy on file at Waters Funerals. When your family contacts us, we already know what you wanted.

Free, and yours to change

You don't have to pay for anything when you pre-plan. You don't have to commit to using Waters Funerals when the time comes. You can update your plan at any time as life changes.

Common Pre-planning Intentions

Why people Pre-Plan

The reasons our families give are remarkably consistent:

To spare the people you love

The week after a death is exhausting. Phone calls, visitors, paperwork, decisions, and the raw weight of grief. Pre-planning takes the biggest decisions off your family's plate. They don't have to wonder “what would they have wanted?” They already know.

To prevent family conflict

Where there's ethnic, religious or cultural diversity in a family (and across South Auckland, that's most of us) there can be honest disagreement about what's right. A blended family, an immigrant parent and New Zealand-raised children, a mix of faiths, a complicated marriage history. Your wishes in writing settle the question before it can become an argument.

To stay in control

You decide. If you want a small private gathering or a full traditional service. Burial or cremation. Particular music, particular readings. The marae, the church, the chapel, or the lifestyle block. The casket you'd choose. The car you'd ride in. Even what people eat afterwards.

To plan around a diagnosis

If you or someone close has been given a terminal diagnosis, pre-planning can be a meaningful, even healing, thing to do together. We've sat with many families through this. There's no rush, and we go at your pace.

To know the cost in advance

You don't have to pay anything to pre-plan. But if you'd like to lock in today's price and remove that question from your family's hands too, we can talk you through pre-payment options as well.

What's in a Pre-Plan

What you can include in your Pre-Plan

A good pre-plan covers as much or as little as you want it to. The most useful things to record are:

Nothing on this list is required. Some families fill in only two or three sections. Others fill in all of them. The point is that whatever you write down is one less decision your family has to make later.

Your basic preference: burial or cremation (and where)

The kind of service you'd like: traditional, contemporary, religious, secular, cultural, private family-only, or no service at all

Where it should be held: our Pukekohe or Papatoetoe chapel, your church, marae, family home, lifestyle block, or graveside

Who should lead it: minister, priest, celebrant, kaikōrero, or family member

The music: songs, hymns, performers

Readings, eulogies and tributes: and who you'd like to deliver them

Casket choice: see our merchandise range

Cultural protocols: anything specific to your iwi, faith, family or homeland

What to wear: yours, and what you'd like the family to wear

What happens afterwards: wake, gathering, where, catering, anything you'd like included or excluded

Special requests: flowers, vehicles, doves, pipers, motorbikes, classic cars, anything that feels right

What you'd like done with your ashes: if you choose cremation

Practical details: people to be told, photographs to be used, things you'd like said or not said

Pre Plan

How the process works

This is the question we get asked most. The two are related but separate.

Pre-planning means recording your wishes. It's free. No money changes hands. You can update or cancel it any time. This is what most people mean when they search for funeral pre-planning, and it's where we'd usually suggest you start.

There's no charge for any of this. There's no commitment. Many people who pre-plan with us never end up needing to use us, and that's completely fine.

Get in touch.

Call either office. Tell us you'd like to talk about pre-planning.

Choose where to meet.

Most people prefer to come into the office and have a quiet conversation over a cup of tea. Some prefer we visit them at home, especially if they're unwell. We'll come to you anywhere in South Auckland, Manukau or Franklin.

Have the conversation.

We'll walk you through the choices you can make, answer your questions, and write everything down. You don't need to decide everything in one sitting. Most people take the form away, think about it, and come back.

Sign and store.

When you're happy with your plan, we keep a confidential copy on file at Waters Funerals. We recommend you also give a copy to your executor and one or two close family members.

Update whenever you need to.

Marriages, divorces, moves, new grandchildren, changing your mind about cremation. Life happens. Just call us and we'll update your file.

Funeral Pre-Planning for all

Who Pre-Planning Is For

Pre-planning is most often done by:

People in their 60s, 70s and 80s

Thinking practically about their affairs

Adult children

Helping an elderly parent record their wishes

People with a terminal diagnosis

Who want some control over what happens

Migrants

Who want their cultural protocols respected and their family in New Zealand to know what's expected

Anyone who's just been through a chaotic funeral

And wants to spare their own family the same

People putting their full estate in order

Alongside their will, EPA and other documents

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions: Funeral Pre-Planning

Clear answers to help you decide at your own pace.

How much does pre-planning cost? +

Pre-planning itself is free. There's no charge for the conversation, no charge for keeping your plan on file, and no obligation to commit to anything. If you choose to pre-pay for your funeral as well, that's a separate decision and we'll explain the costs clearly before you commit anything.

Do I have to use Waters Funerals if I pre-plan with you? +

No. Your plan belongs to you. If your family decides to use a different funeral home, your written wishes still help them. Most families who pre-plan with us do come back to us, but there's no obligation either way.

Is a pre-plan legally binding? +

A pre-plan documents your wishes, but it's not a legal contract in the way a will is. That said, families almost always honour the wishes written down. For binding legal arrangements, you'll also want a will and ideally an Enduring Power of Attorney; we can suggest local solicitors if you don't already have one.

What if my circumstances change? +

You can update your pre-plan whenever you like, as often as you like. We just open the file, make the changes, and store the new version. There's no charge.

Can I pre-plan for a parent or partner? +

You can be part of the conversation, and many family members come along to support an elderly parent or unwell partner. The plan itself needs to come from the person whose funeral it is, as those are their wishes, not anyone else's. We're very used to running the conversation with the whole family in the room.

Will my family know that I've pre-planned? +

Only if you tell them. Your plan is confidential. We strongly recommend that you do tell at least one or two people, otherwise no one will know to contact us. Most people give a copy to their executor and one close family member.

Here when you need us

Start the conversation

Pre-planning is a quiet, simple thing. A cup of tea, a one-hour conversation, and a few decisions you make at your own pace. No paperwork to chase, no salesperson, no follow-up calls if you'd rather we didn't.