Prime Minister Chris Hipkins says it is "not on the table" for the Government to pick up the more than $65,000 tab to repatriate fallen soldier Kane Te Tai's body from Ukraine.
Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta says it is up to Te Tai's family to repatriate his body.
Te Tai's death in action in Ukraine was confirmed on Thursday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Te Tai was killed in action while clearing a trench last week in the Vuhledar region.
He trained in New Zealand and went to Ukraine voluntarily.
The repatriation of his body is expected to cost more than $65,000.
Today, Hipkins said New Zealand had not done repatriations in "situations like this in the past".
"Clearly it's a tragic situation and all New Zealanders will want to send their sympathies to his family".
He said it was "not on the table" for the Government to pay for Te Tai's return.
"New Zealand's official position remains that we have 'do not travel' advice in place for Ukraine. We're not sending our own military assistance directly to Ukraine. We are contributing to the fight-back by the Ukrainians but not in terms of boots-on-the-ground."
Asked if the Government should assist in bringing Te Tai home, Mahuta said New Zealand had a travel advisory advising citizens not to travel to Ukraine.
She said she passed on her deepest condolences to the Te Tai whānau for their loss.
Speaking in te reo Māori, Mahuta said it was for his family to return his body from Ukraine, and she understood the family had set up a Givealittle page to crowd source funds to repatriate his body.
Māori Development Minister Willie Jackson said the death was "very tragic".
He said it was up to Mahuta to decide whether the Government should or would assist in Te Tai's repatriation.
National Party leader Christopher Luxon said New Zealanders had been advised not to travel to Ukraine.
A week before Te Tai's death a video showed him finding and saving a friend he'd believed dead, Alex Gordeev.
Gordeev had been starved and tortured by Russians.
Gordeev's cousin has met with Te Tai's brothers in Brisbane to pass on their gratitude and support the grieving family.
His mother told RNZ Te Tai was an "awesome son, father, uncle and brother".
Former defence minister Ron Mark told 1News Te Tai was the sort of solider he'd love to have had in his unit.
"He's mischievous, naughty, professional, committed, courageous.
"I've been sitting here pondering, thinking about him for the last couple of days... humorous but hard, fair and flexible but firm, courageous and kind.
"I like to think we were all there for the right reason and definitely I know Kane was. We're gonna miss him."
In April last year the father of one told TVNZ: “I’m hoping to come back, it will be great to see home again. But if not I’ve had a lot of good times, I’ve met a lot of great people and I’ve got to sort of accept that.”
Te Tai’s friend, veteran Aaron Wood, told TVNZ Te Tai spoke of his personal growth in Ukraine and how he was keen to come home and get back to the real world.
Te Tai is the third New Zealander to die in action in Ukraine since the conflict began.
The other two were Dominic Abelen, 28, and Andrew Bagshaw, 47, a dual New Zealand and British citizen.
Abelen was on leave without pay from the New Zealand Defence Force when he was killed in Donetsk in August. His body has not been returned to his family.
Bagshaw was killed in the town of Soledar when his car was hit by an artillery shell in January. He was trying to help an older woman escape.
The SafeTravel website stated costs associated with the death of a New Zealand citizen overseas, such as funeral expenses or repatriation of remains to New Zealand, were the responsibility of the family, though travel insurance may cover some or all of the costs.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade maintains New Zealanders should not travel to Ukraine.
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