Latest news with #GillianBoyes
RNZ News
2 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
'Changing paperwork is not going to fix funeral debt': Association slams call to remove funeral directors as cremation middlemen
Photo: 123RF The New Zealand Funeral Directors Association is disputing calls from the advocacy group Death Without Debt to remove them as cremation middlemen. It follows comments from Death Without Debt spokesperson Fergus Wheeler who said funeral directors were costing people money. He explained that two doctors were required to sign off on a death for cremation - the first would have seen the body and made notes about the cause of death, and a second doctor was required sign-off on that paperwork. Currently, the system was set up so that people needed a funeral director to facilitate this second sign-off, with funeral directors billing the family for doing so - but legally, it did not have to be done this way. Wheeler called for a tweak to the Ministry of Health's existing online death documents system, allowing the first doctor's paperwork to be uploaded to the cloud to be checked by the second doctor, without the need for the funeral director to forward it on. But Funeral Directors Association chief executive Gillian Boyes said reducing the amount of paper work is not going to fix funeral debt for families. "Mr Wheeler is suggesting somehow that paperwork is what's causing the price of funerals and that's just simply not true," she said. "Anyone can do the paperwork, but many people choose to use the services of a funeral director because the funeral director is doing all the other things that are needed, such as transporting, you know, the deceased, preparing them, supporting the family, arranging the funeral, all those things are the things that cost money." Boyes said on average a simple cremation funeral could cost around $7,000 while a simple burial was usually around $10,000 to $12,000. She said there were three issues compounding funeral debt for New Zealanders. "One is you've got to have price transparency. Now, that's something that members of the Funeral Directors Association have, but not all funeral directors are required to be transparent in their pricing, so if you don't know what you're signing up for, you can't control your costs. "A second thing is an increase in the asset testing limit for prepaid funerals. That's set at $10,000 for many, many years. If people could put aside a more realistic amount, such as $15,000, then they won't go into debt because they'll have already put aside the correct amount of money. "The third thing is an increase in the Work and Income funeral grant, so that really is the protection for people who have no money at all and that's at a really unrealistic amount of about $2600 at the moment." She said funeral directors are all private businesses who have to make money in order to continue offering services. "The only support government provides is to those who are very vulnerable, so they can apply for a funeral grant through Work and Income. "Now, your income levels have to be incredibly low for that. So it really only helps a tiny percentage of the population, everyone else has to fund it themselves. "There's all sorts of issues with the Act at the moment that need resolving, tidying, making it a fairer process for New Zealanders. "The current laws are dated 1964, the Government did a first principles review of those but there's been very little action on the many, many recommendations that came out of that review. "So we think it's well overdue for the government to actually finish that work, provide better support for families, provide clearer rules around funerals, and just help the industry out. "But, you know, just changing paperwork is not going to fix funeral debt." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
6 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
Health Select Committee Report Fails To Address Real Issues In Funeral Debt
Press Release – Funeral Directors Assn of NZ We think putting in place better consumer protection, with a backstop of genuine Government support for the most vulnerable is going to have far more impact on funeral debt than simplifying paperwork. The Funeral Directors Association says calls from advocacy group, Death without Debt, to simplify cremation paperwork is distracting Government from the real issues around funeral debt. The Health Select Committee has now released a report on cremation costs and associated matters, finding the current process and regulations create a barrier for people who want to organise their own funerals. However Chief Executive, Gillian Boyes, notes the Select Committee recognised it is already possible for people to complete the paperwork directly, recommending the Te Hokinga ā Wairua | End of Life Service website includes links on its website. 'We're incredibly frustrated this advocacy group has suggested making paperwork easier to find will somehow fix funeral debt,' says Ms Boyes. 'Completing paperwork is a fraction of the cost of funeral services. What does cost is what people want and need, which is the support in caring for them and their loved one when they're at a moment in life where they often can't think straight and where paperwork is the least of their concerns. That is the service funeral directors provide.' Ms Boyes says the industry's own submission to the Health Select Committee recommended the Government should instead focus on: Price transparency in law for all funeral directors. Currently only Funeral Directors Association members are obligated by their Standards and Code of Ethics to be transparent. An increase in the asset testing limit for pre-paid funerals from $10,000 to $15,000. This would ensure those with the means to pre-plan are setting aside a more realistic amount which avoids future debt. An increase in the Work and Income Funeral Grant. This would better protect those with no money for the essential services funeral directors provide. 'Government has to be realistic that when services are provided privately, there is cost involved. 'We think putting in place better consumer protection, with a backstop of genuine Government support for the most vulnerable is going to have far more impact on funeral debt than simplifying paperwork.'
Scoop
6 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
Health Select Committee Report Fails To Address Real Issues In Funeral Debt
The Funeral Directors Association says calls from advocacy group, Death without Debt, to simplify cremation paperwork is distracting Government from the real issues around funeral debt. The Health Select Committee has now released a report on cremation costs and associated matters, finding the current process and regulations create a barrier for people who want to organise their own funerals. However Chief Executive, Gillian Boyes, notes the Select Committee recognised it is already possible for people to complete the paperwork directly, recommending the Te Hokinga ā Wairua | End of Life Service website includes links on its website. 'We're incredibly frustrated this advocacy group has suggested making paperwork easier to find will somehow fix funeral debt,' says Ms Boyes. 'Completing paperwork is a fraction of the cost of funeral services. What does cost is what people want and need, which is the support in caring for them and their loved one when they're at a moment in life where they often can't think straight and where paperwork is the least of their concerns. That is the service funeral directors provide.' Ms Boyes says the industry's own submission to the Health Select Committee recommended the Government should instead focus on: Price transparency in law for all funeral directors. Currently only Funeral Directors Association members are obligated by their Standards and Code of Ethics to be transparent. An increase in the asset testing limit for pre-paid funerals from $10,000 to $15,000. This would ensure those with the means to pre-plan are setting aside a more realistic amount which avoids future debt. An increase in the Work and Income Funeral Grant. This would better protect those with no money for the essential services funeral directors provide. 'Government has to be realistic that when services are provided privately, there is cost involved. 'We think putting in place better consumer protection, with a backstop of genuine Government support for the most vulnerable is going to have far more impact on funeral debt than simplifying paperwork.'
