Bereavement
Support & Griefcare
As members of the Funeral Directors Association of New Zealand (FDANZ),
Aoraki Funeral Homes are committed to the Griefcare programme and we
carry this accreditation.
 What is Griefcare?
Griefcare® is
the quality mark for NZ funeral practice -
your assurance of ethical, professional and caring service.
To protect the public in a largely unregulated industry, FDANZ introduced
Griefcare®, the world's first internally administered quality assurance
programme for funeral practices. Griefcare-accredited members of FDANZ
are required to meet, and to continue to meet the following requirements:
Funeral practices that display the Griefcare logo:
- Have suitably qualified or experienced staff
- Are committed to ongoing professional training
- Are bound by a strict Code of Ethics and Code of Practice
- Agree to meet all legislative requirements for the investment of
pre-paid funeral funds
- Have premises and facilities that are regularly inspected to ensure
they meet professional standards
- Agree to be bound by an independent client disputes resolution process.
What advantages do Griefcare Funeral Directors have when a person dies?
Depending on the wishes of the family, they can provide all or some of
the following services:
- Talk with other professionals on the family’s behalf - doctor,
hospital, coroner, the minister, clergy, celebrant, cemetery or cremation
officials
- Arrange an appropriate funeral service at the correct time and venue
- Organise an organist, other music and video or audio recording of the
service
- Organise placement of ashes or establishment of a memorial
- Place notices in the newspaper
- Provide a hearse, suitable premises and personnel
- Organise purchase of a burial plot, or organise for a family grave to
be re-opened
- Collate official forms from the doctor or coroner
- File death registration forms
- Refer mourners to a grief counsellor or support group
The Griefcare Commitment
Funeral practices that have chosen to become Griefcare accredited have agreed
to be legally bound by their commitment to ethical, caring and professional
service.
Each year, there are some 26,000 funerals in New Zealand. About 90 per cent
of these are conducted by funeral practices that are members of the Funeral
Directors Association of New Zealand (FDANZ).
Griefcare formalises the commitment FDANZ members have long held to excellence
in all their activities.
Qualified Staff
Client care in each Griefcare accredited funeral practice is supervised
by a nominated professional.
These professionals have tertiary qualifications in funeral directing, or
are recognised by their peers as having the necessary experience. They attend
regular training courses to maintain their funeral practice’s Griefcare
status.
Code of Ethics
Griefcare funeral practices and the registered funeral directors on their
staff comply with the FDANZ Code
of Ethics and Code of Conduct .
These codes recognise that funeral directors have responsibilities to the
bereaved, the public at large and the profession to which they belong.
You can expect your Griefcare funeral director to:
- Be honest and dignified
- Maintain the highest professional standards
- Maintain confidentiality
- Respect your personal choices, spiritual beliefs and ethnic background
- Give you accurate information and prices for the services and products
they provide.
Pre-Paid Funeral Funds
Pre-payment of your funeral has many benefits.
All Griefcare funeral practices that offer pre-paid funerals are required
by FDANZ to sign an annual Statutory Declaration confirming that the investment
of funds meets all statutory requirements.
The FDANZ Family
Bereavement Plan meets all such requirements and is the only plan endorsed
by FDANZ. Brochures and investment statements for the Plan are available
from Aoraki Funeral Homes.
Accredited Premises
Griefcare funeral practices are inspected and assessed before they are accredited
and then once every three years. Facilities are assessed to ensure they are
fit for their purpose, clean and well-maintained.
Griefcare accreditation means that when a person dies they will be treated
with respect and will be prepared for the funeral in proper facilities. Griefcare
funeral practices also provide an environment that is respectful of the mourners
and the deceased.
Disputes Resolution
If you believe a Griefcare funeral director has been unfair, unethical,
unprofessional or insensitive, Griefcare can help. A three-stage disputes
resolution process includes the option of an appeal to an independent disputes
mediator whose decision is final and binding.
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