Our Advice

How do I go about ordering a headstone?

We understand that ordering a memorial headstone is not something people do all the time so our aims is to make the process easy and stress free for you.

Firstly, pick up the phone and call your nearest branch:

Hamilton 07 856 6411 - Phil
Cambridge 07 827 5226 - Craig or Sandra
Rotorua 07 348 8889 - Jocelyn
Tokoroa 07 886 5160 (Agency at South Waikato Funeral Services) - Derek
or 0800 443 237 for any enquiries Craig or Sandra

We will ask you which cemetery the headstone is to go into, along with the name of the deceased. We will find out if there are any council bylaws applying to the cemetery and area where the headstone is to be installed, as many cemeteries will have a restriction on the size of a headstone or plaque and sometimes even the design, whereas many lawn cemeteries, as long as we stay within the size requirement, we can install any design of headstone you like.
Most private cemeteries and Urupa have no restrictions whatsoever, so we can design and install almost anything you want.

Have a think about the future, is the headstone for just the one person, or will there be additional details to be added at a later date?
Do you wish to have ceramic photographs on the headstone?
Do you have a verse or phrase you would like inscribed on the headstone or even onto the base?
Do you plan to have an unveiling, ceremony or service and what is the date for this?
Would you like Waikato Stonecraft to install the memorial or will the family attend to the installation themselves?
We offer a full installation service throughout New Zealand. If the headstone is to be installed outside our coverage area, we will arrange another NZMMMA member to handle the installation and any necessary paperwork. Please remember, most public, council run cemeteries do not allow anyone but a qualified monumental mason to install a headstone for Health and Safety reasons.

We can produce a high quality memorial for you in less than a week if necessary, although a custom made memorial will take longer to produce, up to 10 weeks, sometimes slightly longer. The normal timeframe for a headstone we have in stock is 3-4 weeks.

If you are having trouble with the inscription, call into one of our offices and sit and discuss layout options for a while with our staff. We are all very experienced in helping out with what wording to put on the headstone, the best way to lay the text out, what graphics would complement the wording and any other questions you may have. A ceramic photograph or a graphic image tells a story of your family member and is a lovely way to remember them by.

Once you have decided on a headstone design and your wording, our graphic artists will produce for you a draft layout of what the headstone will look like with your inscription. Obviously, this is only a draft and making changes is a common and expected part of the process.

When the draft is finished and signed off, the headstone will be produced and made ready for installation. IF the family is picking the headstone up to install themselves, we usually have the memorial covered ready for transportation. We can provide advice and a guide to installing a headstone for those who are taking care of the installation themselves.