Death In Ōnehunga

A funeral home is the unlikely setting for a local reality show that has attracted international interest.

- Fiona Rae

Of all the hits of the past year, a reality show following the staff of a funeral home in nehunga has to be the most unusual.

Suddenly, the process of laying a loved one to rest didn’t seem quite so onerous and it painted funeral directors in an entirely new light, too.

Francis and Kaiora Tipene and their staff became unlikely TV stars as they organised Mori, Pasifika and Pkeh funerals with love and care for the deceased and their families. The perfectionist Francis became a favourite, partly for his occasional unwise purchases and love of a good leaf-blower, but mostly for the pragmatic solicitude with which he attended the deceased.