Ana-Maria Funeral Services

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𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐙𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝’𝐬 𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐠?
Amazing Grace? My Way? Time to Say Goodbye? Nope.
𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐀𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐁𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐮𝐬𝐭.

As part of Dying Matters Week Aotearoa 2026, New Zealanders were asked what song they’d like played at their funeral — and the results range from the beautiful and traditional to the wonderfully cheeky.

It got us wondering…𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥?

Tell us in the comments — serious, sentimental or completely inappropriate, we’d love to hear it!

Then have a look at the full NZ Top 10 and Sam’s latest blog about why music can be such an important part of saying goodbye. Link in comments....

Ana-Maria Funeral Home is more than a funeral home, it is a family-led haven where compassion, understanding, and quiet strength guide every step of the journey.

Their support extends far beyond the practicalities of arranging a farewell. In times when families feel most vulnerable, the team offers gentle guidance, a listening ear, and a steady presence.

They don’t simply serve their community; they walk alongside it with genuine care.

For Ana-Maria, her husband Peter Richardson, and their two qualified Funeral Directors, Mark Flintoff and Riki Dodunski this work is a calling.

They consider it a privilege to support families throughout Hamilton, and the wider Waikato region.

Every life is honoured, every story is respected, and every family is met with patience and empathy.

Their guiding belief remains at the heart of all they do: “this life mattered, this person made an impact on us.”

Their Spanish Mission–style funeral home, an iconic heritage property, reflects the warmth and sincerity that define their service.

It is a peaceful, private, and homely place where families can gather, reflect, and feel safe.

The building itself stands as a symbol of the strong family values and heartfelt compassion that Ana-Maria, Peter, Mark, and Riki bring to their work each day.

They also recognise that grief does not follow a timetable. Their approach is gentle, unhurried, and centred on the needs of each family.

Whether they’re guiding someone through the first steps of loss or helping shape a meaningful farewell, the team provides steady reassurance, clear direction, and genuine understanding.

They take pride in creating spaces where memories can be shared, love can be expressed, and healing can begin.

With deep roots in the Waikato community, they remain committed to being a steady source of comfort and support.

Their work is grounded in kindness, respect, and the belief that every person deserves to be remembered with dignity.

Together, they provide a place where stories are honoured, families are supported, and love is never forgotten.

We did it! Grief Education in Schools Aotearoa (GESA) is proud to announce a major milestone: grief education will be formally included in the New Zealand curriculum from 2027.

The Ministry of Education responded to our submission by adopting our recommended inclusions and went went further, identifying additional points in the curriculum where grief related learning could be included. As a result, the Health and Physical Education learning area now contains five statements related to grief education across five year groups. These additions introduce change, loss and grief progressively across Years 3 to 10, ensuring students build emotional literacy over time.

Most importantly, these five inclusions mean grief education now spans all stages of schooling – primary, intermediate and secondary. This is a significant step forward for student wellbeing in Aotearoa, and a testament to the power of collective advocacy.

Read more about what GESA recommended and what's been included - and why this is important - on the Too Young website. https://www.tooyoung.org.nz/grief-education-in-schools-aotearoa

Thank you to everyone who developed and supported the submission and to everyone who signed our petition calling for the same.

Our focus now shifts to the next phase – supporting a refreshed resource for teachers, schools and kura, and advocating for teaching and learning about grief to be built into initial teacher education and continuing professional development for all school staff.

We are also continuing our petition calling for grief education for students and school staff to show every political party that grief education matters to New Zealanders, and that we expect this new commitment to be delivered, whoever forms the next government.

So – please show your support and sign the petition if you haven’t already. Help us keep up this important action for generational social change!

Thank you so much for your support, Elisabeth Price Gail Precious and to John Adams for kicking this off!

Not long to go🥰… Can't wait to have you both home! ✈️

When the time comes, will your loved ones know what you want?

The greatest gift you can leave your family isn't just financial.

It's knowing your wishes.

Whether you'd prefer burial or cremation, a simple gathering or a celebration of life, talking about your preferences now means your family won't have to wonder what you would have wanted.

With Now For Them, you can also put money aside towards your funeral, helping ease both emotional and financial pressure when the time comes.

Leave peace, not decisions.

Find out more about Now For Them: https://funeraldirectors.co.nz/nowforthem/what-is-now-for-them

And they're off! .. See you in 4 weeks. Have fun!!! xx
What's that saying??? "When the cat's away........."

We recently had the opportunity to share our stories of what being a family-owned funeral home means to us.
Have a read of the article below:
https://www.waikatotimes.co.nz/business/361062227/tradition-worth-preserving

Happy to all of the funeral directors out there who act as beacons of light to all of the families they serve.