I want to leave proper instructions when I die, so that my family knows where everything is and who to contact. Do you have any advice about this?
What should I do if I come across a dead body?
What are some of the things I ought to do after a family member dies?
What happens when someone dies overseas?
I want to leave proper instructions when I die, so that my family knows where everything is and who to contact. Do you have any advice about this?
It can be very difficult for family to find out where everything is when someone dies – such as insurance policies or deeds to the house. Even if you don’t expect to die anytime soon, let your family know where to find the following documents just in case something unexpected happens to you. Some good places to store official documents are with a lawyer, a secure document storage facility, or a safe place in the house.
Some of the documents you might wish to make readily available are:
- Your Will as well as instructions about the distribution of personal belongings not covered in the Will
- Your birth certificate
- A list, including contact details, of organisations and people to notify if anything happens
- A list of friends you want at the funeral and their contact details
- A letter to individuals or video message for the funeral
- Your wishes for the funeral if they are not in your Will
- Instructions on where all your property and investments are and who to contact about them
- Details of your insurance policies
- Important documents such as land titles and mortgage agreements
- Any other documents that may be important to your family, e.g. the original manuscript of a book you have written
What should I do if I come across a dead body?
The very first thing to do in this situation, before you do anything else, is to ensure your own safety and those of any dependants with you - this is especially the case if you have come across a vehicle accident or you are in a place where there may be serious health and safety hazards present.
If you are uncertain as to whether the person is deceased or whether they are in fact alive but unconscious, you will need to check their vital signs and be prepared to perform resuscitation if necessary. You should also phone for an ambulance, on 111, as soon as possible - or ask someone else at the scene to do so. If you need help with checking vital signs and performing resuscitation, the ambulance service can talk you through the process - again, call 111 and ask for the ambulance service. St. John Ambulance Service has a webpage containing information about what to do when calling for an ambulance.
If you are absolutely sure the person is dead and cannot be revived you should still call 111 straight away, and ask for the police.
What are some of the things I ought to do after a family member dies?
There are some immediate things to be done when someone dies, such as getting a death certificate from a doctor, and registering the death.
For more information on what you need to do before burial or cremation, see the Department of Internal Affairs information ‘Before Burial or Cremation’
If you appoint a funeral director, they will tell you what to do, or do it for you as part of their service.
But here are some other things you may need to do:
- See if the person is owed any ACC compensation or benefits that could help pay for the funeral
- If the dead person had a life insurance policy, arrange with the insurance company for any payment to be made
- Check to see if the person is owed any salary or superannuation from their workplace
- If the person was receiving a salary or taxable income, a tax return up to the date of death must be filed with the IRD
- If the deceased’s house was registered as a Joint Family Home, the house should at some stage be transferred to the name of the surviving spouse or partner with the Land Titles Service. The Land Titles Service recommends that the transfer be carried out by a lawyer
- The Department of Internal Affairs recommends that the deceased’s passport be cancelled. The passport can be sent to the New Zealand Passport Office in Wellington (or to the nearest Internal Affairs office) with a covering note stating the date and place of death.
- Cancel or change the name of the telephone, electricity, gas, and rates accounts
What happens when someone dies overseas?
If you are travelling overseas and a companion dies, you should contact the nearest New Zealand Embassy, or inform the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. This is so that the family can be informed and arrangements made for the body to be brought home. If you need to find the location of the nearest New Zealand Embassy or Consulate, check the New Zealand Overseas Offices list.
If someone dies overseas, it is up to the next of kin whether they want to bring the body back to New Zealand or make burial arrangements overseas. Often when someone is buried overseas, there will still be a service held in New Zealand.
When someone is brought back to their home country after dying overseas, it is called repatriation. Often the person’s travel insurance policy will cover repatriation in case of death, so you should check with their insurer if they were covered.
A funeral director will be able to give you advice on your alternatives, and help you decide the best thing to do. To find a funeral director in your area, click here.