Simple Direct Funerals

Do not let the cost of saying goodbye add to your grief.

Simple Direct Funerals

Worried About Funeral Expenses?

Seeking Simple Arrangements?

Want to Reduce Extra Stress?

We’re here to help with…

Simple and Low-Cost
Cremations and Burials
in Nelson and Tasman
– with Dignity & Respect

Let us help reduce your stress and anxiety

With simple arrangements that will still meet your needs.

Our family could not recommend Simple Direct Funerals highly enough for everything that was done to help us with my Mother’s passing from the preparation and support in hospice through to her beautiful funeral service. Owen was amazing guiding us through our most difficult time with kindness and respect. There were no over inflated prices or hidden costs as with other funeral homes, 100% honest. Owen went above and beyond to help us follow my Mother’s wishes during the Christmas, new year period being the most tricky time to organise a funeral. We recommend Simple Direct to all families that are preparing for the loss of a loved one.

Making Funerals a Little Easier

I started Simple Direct Funerals to provide an alternative for families who wanted a simple-to-arrange funeral with minimal stress.  The difference from other funeral homes is our low-key, efficient service that makes planning a funeral less daunting, complicated and expensive.

My focus is on providing:

  • well run, low-cost funerals
  • no pressure to spend more
  • a simple process for families
  • respectful dignified farewells
  • minimal stress for families

With a lifetime dedicated to community service, you can expect professional, caring and honest service.

SDF Owen Haring

 
… providing affordability without compromising service.

What Makes Us Different From Other Funeral Homes?

Personal Relaxed Approach

Helping individuals feel at ease during a stressful and challenging time is arguably our greatest strength.

Unlike many funeral homes, we maintain a more relaxed and casual demeanor while remaining entirely professional.

Families find our approach less intimidating, yet compassionate and supportive. Our goal is to make addressing death and funerals more natural, rather than a daunting, unfamiliar experience.

Have Only Low Prices

A distinction we have is that our prices are capped. There is no way to keep increasing costs for families, so there is absolutely no concern about escalating expenses.

Sometimes Funeral Homes may advertise low-cost funerals; they may even establish websites promoting this. However, the main reason for this is to attract people in the door.

There are various techniques that Funeral Homes use to encourage people to spend more.

Easiest Arrangements

Our arrangements are among the easiest for families to manage in New Zealand.

Often, families don’t even know where to begin when organizing a funeral. Funeral homes typically have many questions and forms that need to be completed.

This can be a tactic that allows funeral homes to add extra services, as there is much happening and agreeing is simply easier.

While our arrangements are much simpler, the cremation or burial remains dignified and respectful. This process enables families to focus on what is truly important during that time.

Dignity Without the Expense

Funerals can be incredibly expensive. Spending as much money as you can afford—or even more—is often seen as a way to show how much you cared for the person.

Even the simplest cremation can be more costly than you might expect, as funeral homes will charge as much as they can.

We strive to ensure that even the most basic funeral remains meaningful for the family. Often, these funerals can hold greater significance for families, and it doesn’t imply they can’t have something more formal at a later date.

Competent & Caring

Our background is not in the funeral industry; rather, it has primarily focused on community engagement and providing personal support to individuals and families. As a result, we naturally prioritize the needs and well-being of families during these challenging times. We believe this experience allows us to offer a more compassionate and understanding approach to families arranging funeral services.

We limit our actions concerning the deceased to ensure a respectful and dignified process. For example, we do not embalm the individual, but we can redress them to ensure they are presented in a manner that honors their memory.

We take great care to guarantee that our handling of the deceased, from the moment we first meet them until the time of cremation or burial, is conducted with the utmost respect and sensitivity.

Our goal is to provide a service that is both respectful to the deceased and supportive to the grieving family, ensuring that each step is taken with care and consideration.

5 Star Reviews

From the very beginning, the idea of creating SDF has been driven by how families value and need our unique service. This is why we prioritize people, rather than becoming lost in the complexity and confusion often associated with funerals.

While we are by no means perfect, we strive to enhance and refine our services. We consider any suggestions from families that we should address. Our reputation is not only about affordable funerals; it is also about the quality of service we provide.

I encourage all our families to provide feedback and write a review. I’m proud that our Google Reviews consistently place us as #1 in Nelson Tasman.

Five Star Google Reviews

Some comments from families
I had the privilege to serve.

Free Booklet Download

A helpful print-at-home booklet that you can fill out and then “forget” until it’s needed.  It is yours to keep.

Briefly outlines the funeral process, and gives you all the relevant information needed for a funeral and Death Certificate.

Download useful funeral information. This is a link if you would like your to record and keep your own records.

File and Forget booklet
Word Version
File and Forget booklet
PDF Version
trees that count
Every funeral allows us to donate a native tree, leaving a lasting legacy.
SDF Shop
SDF Shop
Planning a Funeral
What do you do series #4
Direct Cremation – Yes/No?
Behind the scenes of SDF
Low-cost and Respectful
Spirituality and Death
Embalming: Is it essential?
Deciding Which Funeral Home to Use
What Makes Us Different #2 Low Prices
Why SDF?
What do you do series
Arranging a Funeral with Less Stress
What do you do series #2
Caring for the Deceased
Starting a Small Business
Shopping vs Shutting Shop
Save hundreds if not thousands of dollars
5 things you don’t need to worry about…
The Good Life
Funeral homes trying to give me a bad name
Our Differences – #1 Relaxed Style
Googling the most asked questions on funerals
Man Flu
Fearing Death
Euthanasia at Funeral Homes?
After someone has died
What happens to a body after it dies?
Have you heard of MAiD?
What do you do series #5 Family Relationships
I was 20 when my dad died
Why does Click-Bait work?
What do you do series #3
Budget Blowouts
Burial or Cremation?
More than just low-costs
How to say goodbye
The year that was 2022
Low-Cost Funerals
Google Reviews
TV News
The case for the coffin
The Political Circus
Facing Uncertainty
The five stages of Grief
How Hard is a DIY Funeral?
Big Business
DIY Funeral
What do you need to do when someone dies?
The Coroner
Why I stopped watching the news
How Involved should you get with a funeral?
Overcoming the Fear of Funerals
DIY Funerals
The Cost of Dying
When you phone a Funeral Home
The Rite Funeral For You…
SDF – Being affordable doesn’t mean being nasty
Personalise Memories
The Cremation Process
Funeral Homes Advertising Low Cost Funerals
The heartbreak of dying young
Talking about Mortality
How much should a funeral cost?
Choosing a funeral home
The Cost of Dying
Your Funeral Your Way
3 Things that can Save Thousands in Funeral Costs
In the beginning…
1980s life
How to Save on Funeral Costs
A Different Kind of Christmas
Funeral Wishes
Family Friendly Funerals
Talking Funerals
2024 Review
20 Things Funeral Homes Don’t Want You to Know
What is a Dignified Farewell?
Service Regardless of Price
10 Things you don’t need to do
Affordable funerals doesn’t mean second rate
Cost of Living!! – What about the cost of Dying?
What Makes Us Different #3 Easy Arrangements
Free Funerals
Cowboy Operators
Cheap Funerals
Coping with Loss
Facing Fears
Seven things that make us unique
What Makes Us Different #4 Simple Dignity
15 Things – updated – Funeral Home Secrets
When Less is More
Prepaying Funerals
Personal reflections
When my Facebook got hacked
It’s a dog’s life
5 Year Anniversary
What Makes Us Different #5 Reviews
15 Things Funeral Homes don’t want you to know