How to become a funeral assistant
Official title: Funeral assistant
Also called: Funeral attendant, Chapel or memorial attendant, Funeral director's assistant, Funeral trainee, Mortuary assistant
Funeral assistants set up funeral ceremonies and guide guests. They may do casket and flower arrangements and maintain funeral equipment.
Main tasks
- Set up funeral ceremonies and services
- Welcome and assist grieving families
- Help move and carry caskets
- Assist with funeral day arrangements
- Transport the deceased when needed
- Drive vehicles for funeral services
- Help prepare the deceased respectfully
- Keep funeral facilities clean and tidy
How to become one
You usually learn on the job to become a funeral assistant and a qualification may be useful. You usually don’t need specific NCEA levels for this job, but Level 2 may be useful. Required: a driver licence. Other requirements: experience in similar work; to be over 20 years old; a New Zealand Diploma in Funeral Directing (Level 5).
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
- Most common pay: $56,000 to $76,000 a year (median $67,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
- Upper: $90,000 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.
- Change in the number of people doing this job between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses: Strong increase (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.
Who does this work
- About 180 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
Related jobs
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Questions people ask
How do I become a funeral assistant?
You usually learn on the job to become a funeral assistant and a qualification may be useful. You usually don’t need specific NCEA levels for this job, but Level 2 may be useful. Required: a driver licence. Other requirements: experience in similar work; to be over 20 years old; a New Zealand Diploma in Funeral Directing (Level 5).
How much does a funeral assistant earn in New Zealand?
The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $67,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $56,000 to $76,000 a year.
Has the number of people working as a funeral assistant grown in New Zealand?
It has grown strongly: TEC records a strong increase in the number of people doing this job between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses. This is past change, not a forecast.
Sources
- 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
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