How to become an embalmer
Official title: Embalmer
Also called: Funeral director, Undertaker
Embalmers prepare bodies for burial according to family wishes and legal requirements.
Main tasks
- Embalm and preserve the deceased
- Prepare the deceased for viewing
- Apply makeup and grooming products
- Handle caskets with care and respect
- Assist with funeral home services
- Clean equipment and work areas
- Keep preparation rooms clean and safe
- Collect information for funeral records
How to become one
You need experience to become an embalmer and a qualification may be useful. You usually need NCEA Level 2 to do the study or training for this job. Required: experience in similar work; a driver licence. Other requirements: to be over 18 years old; a New Zealand Diploma in Embalming (Level 5); to register with the New Zealand Embalmers Association; to pass a police check.
Ways in
- Certificates and diplomas: Advanced certificates and diplomas in beauty. TEC links this job to study in beauty and personal services. Qualifications: NZ Dip in Beauty Therapy, NZ Dip in Arts and Design. Usually 1 year. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $47,000 a year one year after study and $52,000 five years after; 77% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).
Pay · Past change · AI and this job
- Most common pay: $67,000 to $91,000 a year (median $79,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
- Lower: $53,000 a year · Upper: $101,000 a year
- TEC's pay figures are estimates only. TEC says they must not be used to set pay, in pay negotiations or in visa applications.
- People employed in the group Funeral Workers: 768 at the 2018 Census and 861 at the 2023 Census (+12.1%). Past change, not a forecast.
- Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
Who does this work
- In the group Funeral Workers, 51% of workers are female (sex at birth, 2023 Census).
- Where people in the group Funeral Workers work (2023 Census): Auckland 24.8%, Canterbury 13.6%, and Wellington 10.5%.
Related jobs
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Questions people ask
How do I become an embalmer?
You need experience to become an embalmer and a qualification may be useful. You usually need NCEA Level 2 to do the study or training for this job. Required: experience in similar work; a driver licence. Other requirements: to be over 18 years old; a New Zealand Diploma in Embalming (Level 5); to register with the New Zealand Embalmers Association; to pass a police check.
How much does an embalmer earn in New Zealand?
The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $79,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $67,000 to $91,000 a year.
Will AI change the work of an embalmer?
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
Sources
- Stats NZ (via Figure.NZ): Census 2023: employed by regional council, occupation (ANZSCO V1.3 unit group) and sex at birth (2023 Census), CC BY 4.0 (Stats NZ), CC BY 3.0 NZ (Figure.NZ), retrieved 4 October 2026
- Tertiary Education Commission (Tahatu Career Navigator): Tahatu career ideas: descriptions, tasks, pay estimates, people employed, employment change 2018 to 2023, entry requirements, registration, interest scores (Site scrape 2026-10 (816 career ideas, sitemap lastmod 2026-10-01)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
- Stats NZ (via Figure.NZ): Census totals by topic for individuals 2013, 2018, 2023 (CEN23_TBT_004): employed by occupation, ANZSCO V1.3, summed to unit group (2023 Census (CEN23_TBT_004)), CC BY 4.0 (Stats NZ), CC BY 3.0 NZ (Figure.NZ), retrieved 4 October 2026
- International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
This content is sourced from the Tertiary Education Commission through the Tahatū Career Navigator website (www.tahatu.govt.nz) and used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. All or some of the information has been modified by Peernovo. TEC has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. TEC will not be held accountable for any errors within this content.
Qualification information from NZQA, used under CC BY 3.0 NZ.
This work is based on/includes Stats NZ's data which are licensed by Stats NZ for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. Census data via Figure.NZ.
Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.
Sources: Tertiary Education Commission, Tahatū Career Navigator (career ideas, pay estimates, entry requirements and study options, CC BY 4.0, modified by Peernovo); Stats NZ, 2023 Census (via Figure.NZ) and the National Occupation List (CC BY 4.0); NZQA qualification information (CC BY 3.0 NZ); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Links between career ideas and ANZSCO groups, degree fields and broad job groups are Peernovo's.
These results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.
Graduate outcomes: these results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.
Updated 4 October 2026