What Is a Green Burial and How Does It Work in New Zealand?
- Outside The Box Caskets
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
More Kiwis are choosing to go back to the earth the way they lived, quietly, simply, and without leaving a mess behind. In Wellington alone, natural burials now make up over 13% of all burials, and that number is growing nationwide. It makes sense when you think about it. If someone spent their whole life trying to tread lightly, why should the way they leave be any different?
This isn't a new idea. It's actually a very old one.
For most of human history, a natural burial was simply a burial. Families washed and prepared their own loved ones. A carpenter made the coffin. The community gathered. And the body was returned to the earth simply and quickly, without chemicals or ceremony around preservation. In New Zealand, embalming only became common practice in the 1970s. Before that, it was rare. The elaborate, industrial funeral we now think of as traditional is really only a few decades old. Jewish communities have practiced natural burial for thousands of years, wrapping the body in a simple linen shroud, using a plain biodegradable casket, and burying without embalming. What we are calling a green burial today is, in many ways, just coming back to something we always knew.
So what actually makes a burial "green"?
A natural burial means returning someone to the earth in the most straightforward way possible. No embalming chemicals pumped through the body. No synthetic liners or non-biodegradable materials that sit in the soil for decades. Just a person, placed in a casket or shroud made entirely from natural materials, given back to the land they came from.
The idea is beautifully simple. The body becomes part of the earth again, rather than being sealed away from it. Over time, the ground above becomes a living thing. Native trees are planted over the site. The cemetery becomes a forest. It is, in many ways, the most honest farewell there is.
Where can you have a green burial in New Zealand?
There are now 14 certified natural burial grounds across the country, from Auckland and Wellington down to Christchurch, Nelson, Marlborough, Taupo, New Plymouth and beyond. Certification matters here because it means the site meets strict environmental standards and that what goes into the ground is genuinely natural, not just marketed that way.
We keep a full and updated list on our website so you can find what is available closest to you. View natural burial sites near you
How do our caskets fit in?
Outside The Box Caskets were designed with natural burial in mind from the very beginning. Not retrofitted to meet the requirements, built for them. Our caskets are made from specially engineered ecological board with no glues, coatings or finishes that would slow down decomposition. No plastic components. No metal parts. The handles are unbleached jute, a completely natural fibre that breaks down just like the rest of it.
Our caskets are certified by Natural Burials NZ and have been independently tested to make sure they meet the requirements of certified natural burial grounds across New Zealand. We were the first corrugated board casket in New Zealand to receive that certification. That is not something we take lightly.
Can you still have a proper funeral service?
Absolutely. A natural burial does not change the funeral itself, only what happens at the graveside. The service can be everything your family wants it to be. Big or intimate. At a church, on a marae, in a garden, on a beach. With music and flowers and a room full of people, or something small and quiet and close. Our caskets are designed to be carried
by pallbearers and used in full funeral services.
Is it going to cost more?
More often than not, no. A natural burial in New Zealand typically costs somewhere between $3,500 and $7,000 in total. A traditional burial commonly runs between $8,000 and $15,000, and in Auckland that can climb higher again given the cost of cemetery plots in the city. The savings come from a few places at once. There is no embalming. And the ongoing cemetery costs at natural burial grounds tend to be lower than a traditional cemetery plot.
What's the first step?
Start with a conversation. Talk to a funeral director who has real experience with natural burials because not all of them do, and it makes a difference. Choose your casket early so you know it will be accepted at your chosen burial ground. And if you want the farewell to actually reflect the person you are sending off, our printed and custom lid options mean a natural burial does not have to look bare or plain or like an afterthought.
A green burial can be one of the most personal, meaningful farewells there is. It just takes a little planning to get it right.