A funeral can and should be a fitting tribute to your loved one.
At Macdonald & Weston, we listen to your needs and guide you through the process making sure all the details are organised to ensure your loved one’s funeral service is personal, meaningful and everything you want it to be.
We know the time after losing a loved one can often be confusing and challenging. Everyone deals with loss differently, emotions can be as varied as the individuals, and there is uncertainty especially when you are faced with planning your loved one’s funeral. It is important that everyone within your family is allowed to voice their ideas and opinions and be involved in their own way.
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Farewelling Your Loved One
The many families we have worked with have taught us the variety and scope of what is possible when the time comes to farewell a loved one.
Families can and often do create their own distinct services or they can adapt or embrace traditional guidelines.
- The celebration of a loved one life can be big or small, formal or informal, the choice is all yours.
- Services can be inside or outside.
- Eulogies or tributes can reflect your loved one’s personality by being humorous or serious.
- Floral tributes can incorporate many different items from vegetables and farm machinery to sports equipment, or hobby activities
Each person deserves a unique and individual service. Loss and its aftermath mark an important part of our lives and living with and moving through grief is an important step on life’s journey.
The process of funeral planning can be stressful and daunting and it can be a challenging time when it comes to saying goodbye. At Macdonald & Weston, our highly experienced team are here to help you. We are committed to providing you and your loved one with excellent care and a unique, personalized farewell, and a fitting tribute to their life.
Our staff offers you 24-hour friendly, responsive and genuine service. We are proud to serve families in the Invercargill and Southland district, and our extensive experience within the funeral industry allows us to help you design a funeral service that is unique and individual. We are not your stereotypic funeral company, we are individual and like to try different things to ensure your loved one’s service is exactly what you envisioned
We can discuss the options available to you regarding:
- Who should officiate the service; minister/priest, celebrant, family member, or friend.
- Burial or cremation options.
- Casket selection.
- Choice of floral tributes.
- Viewing your loved one.
- Memorial service.
- Venue choices and alternative ceremonies (e.g. your own farm).
- Vehicle choices.
Assisting Your Family
The team at Macdonald and Weston are committed to providing excellent service and assistance to the families we are serving.
When arranging a funeral for a close relative or friend, or just making funeral plans, you want to know that you will be listened to and guided through the entire process at your own pace. Nothing is too much trouble and you, the family, are always in control of what happens. We are here to help with your choices and we encourage families to personalize their funeral ceremonies. We also offer full pre-need arrangement discussions, community and group talks
We know dealing with the loss of a loved one can often be a confusing time for some family members. Everyone deals with loss differently, even within a family group. Emotions can run high if the future is uncertain, while also being faced with the daunting task of planning the funeral. It is important that everyone within a family group can voice their ideas/options or be involved in some way with the farewell service.
The celebration of life can be big or small and it can be formal or informal. We do not need to conform to someone’s expectation of the “perfect” funeral service. There is no standard funeral ritual. Each person has a unique service/memorial. It is an important day in our lives and in our grief.
The process of funeral planning can be stressful and daunting, it can be tough when it comes to saying goodbye, but with Macdonald and Weston, it can be made easier.
Give us a call to arrange a free, no-obligation discussion or for information on 03 218 2156.
Funeral Expenses
For many people, it is important to know how much a funeral will cost. There are many variables depending on the style of service families choose to have. The total cost of a funeral is dependent on a number of factors, some that we can control and others that we can’t. We will be able to guide you regarding costs and expenses. The variations in price mean that without sitting down and going through the specific requests it is hard to put a price on a funeral. We don’t want any hidden surprises.
The Funeral Directors’ professional fee also covers all of the company overheads, vehicles, and on-call staff – 24 hours, this fee can vary sometimes depending on our involvement in the funeral and services provided to the family.
Caskets: We have a large selection of caskets available. These range from a basic custom wood casket at $1050.00 to solid timber caskets in excess of $4200.00.
Cost Saving Considerations: Whilst we can and usually do look after paying all of the above for our families, there are ways of reducing the funeral expenses by families looking after some things themselves.
Burial and Cremation Fees: These are charged by the local council. Your funeral director will be able to let you know about these charges.
Financial Assistance
Macdonald & Weston offers a full range of services to accommodate most budgets. Please ring us to discuss your specific requirements. We can advise on the range of assistance available for families requiring help with funeral costs. Assistance and advice can be given on the closing of bank accounts and applications for funeral grants from Work and Income and the Accident Compensation Corporation.
- WINZ Grant – there is a funeral grant available from Work and Income New Zealand. It is a lump sum payment to assist with funeral expenses, it is means-tested and will not cover the full cost of the funeral. We can assist you with the application.
- ACC – if a person’s death is a result of an accident an application can be made to ACC for a funeral grant. We can assist you with this application and usually do on your behalf.
Funeral Services
A Funeral account is really several accounts in one. These can be broken into three areas:
- Funeral Service Charges: These charges vary with the quantity of service required, and include Professional service fee, use of facilities, preparation of deceased, hearse hire, etc.
- The Casket – A wide range is available. The cost includes the casket, the linings, handles & other fittings, and labour for fitting these to the casket.
- Other items that are paid by us on behalf of the family – These cover as many items as the family wishes to be charged to us, e.g. flowers, newspaper notices, Cemetery/Cremation Fees, church hire, celebrant, service sheets, catering, etc.
It is our normal practice to forward the funeral account approximately 1 week following the funeral service. The account is due for payment 30 days after the funeral invoice has been received.
Our Caskets
We have a wide variety of caskets and urns available to view in our showroom.
We care about the environment and our impact, so our MDF caskets now have low fuming formaldehyde emissions which meet the new Japanese F**** standard which is the lowest emission standard in the world. We are also certified to meet the American CARB phase 2 standard for low formaldehyde emission board. They also carry the Environmental Choice New Zealand Certification and the New Zealand product range is certified FSC™ mixed source.
Repatriation
When a death occurs overseas, we can arrange and coordinate transportation back to New Zealand.
If your loved one dies in New Zealand, we can assist in returning them to their home country. This can range from transportation of the body, arranging flights and all correct documentation needed which accompanies your loved one’s body. We can also assist with ash repatriations.
We are able to liaise with embassies, consulates, airline and government agencies on your behalf to ensure a dignified repatriation service is adhered to.