Determine if someone qualifies for burial in a services cemetery
Councils are responsible for determining if a veteran — or their spouse or partner — qualifies for burial in a services cemetery. There are two steps to determine eligibility:
- Get a statement of service from NZDF's Personnel, Archives, and Medals.
- Check if their service matches a service on the list of operational service.
Get a statement of service
Contact NZDF's Personnel, Archives, and Medals at nzdf.pam@nzdf.mil.nz.
The email needs to:
- be sent from a council email address that has:
- a council-branded letterhead or
- a council logo as part of the signature block
- have "urgent — funeral" in the subject line
- included the deceased’s:
- full name
- date of birth
- date of death
- service — Navy, Army, or Air Force
- include as much other information about the deceased as possible.
How long does it take to get a statement of service
Personnel, Archives, and Medals produce a statement of service containing details of the deceased's service in New Zealand's Armed Forces.
Requests received by Personnel, Archives, and Medals between 8am and 12pm will receive a same-day response by 4:30pm. Requests received after 12pm, on weekends, or public holidays will receive a response the next business day.
Check if their service matches a service on the list of operational service
When you receive the statement of service, you will need to compare it against the list of operational service declared under the Burial and Cremation Act 1964.
List of operational service under the Burial and Cremation Act 1964
If the deceased’s service is on the list of operational service, they qualify for burial in a services cemetery. If their service is not on the list, they do not qualify.
If a veteran is eligible for burial in a services cemetery so is their spouse or partner.
If the deceased is a Commonwealth veteran, their family will need to check with the relevant authority of the country they served.
Contact us if you are still unsure about eligibility
If you are unsure about someone is eligible for burial in a services cemetery, please contact MemsandCemsAdmin@nzdf.mil.nz.