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Plaque and Headstone Funding

Plaque and Headstone Funding

We may be able to fund a plaque or headstone for people — and their spouse or partner — with Qualifying Service.

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Who can get this

You may be able to get this if you:

  • have Qualifying Service under the Veterans' Support Act 2014, or
  • your spouse or partner has Qualifying Service under the Veterans' Support Act 2014

Qualifying Service explained

Commonwealth or other allied countries

In some situations, we're able to cover service-persons from Commonwealth or other allied countries, and their spouse or partner.

Eligibility requirements for Commonwealth and allied country plaque and headstone funding

What you can get

How we fund a plaque or headstone depends on where someone is buried.

If someone is buried in a Services Cemetery — alone or with their spouse or partner — we'll meet the full cost of:

  • the plaque or headstone
  • its installation, and
  • updates of the plaque or headstone for spouses or partners also interred.

When they're buried in a public or private cemetery, we can contribute up to NZD$1,000.

Plaques and headstones are standardised in both inscription and design for reasons of equality and uniformity. Personal inscriptions can't be added to memorials in Services Cemeteries. We'll contact you to confirm the inscription details.

Looking after a plaque or headstone

How to apply
  1. Fill out either the:
    • Memorial Order application form — if burial is in a Service Cemetery, or
    • Contribution for Memorial application form — if burial is in a Public or Private Cemetery.
  2. Send it to us by either email or mail.

Memorial Order application form [PDF, 492 KB]

Contribution for Memorial application form [PDF, 482 KB]

What happens next

After you apply we'll:

  1. contact you to confirm we've received your application
  2. start the decision-making process
  3. inform you in writing the outcome of your application.

If we need more information, we'll get in touch with you.

How we make decisions

Find out more

Contact us for more information

We strive to be transparent. If you want to know how this entitlement is administered you can read the policy.

Plaques and Headstones [PDF, 1.1 MB]