The real life of The Casketeers

The gently humorous and compassionate approach of a pair of Kiwi funeral directors saw their TV series The Casketeers go global. They tell Emma Clifton about their new book, how seeing so much tragedy made them fear for their own children’s safety, and why they’re happy New Zealanders are finding it easier to talk about death.

- Emma Clifton

If you think selfie culture is getting out of hand, try spending a day or two in the shoes of funeral directors Francis and Kaiora Tipene. Since the 2018 launch of their TVNZ show The Casketeers, and its subsequent release on Netflix, they are frequently asked for a photo. On the street, out in public, or while they’re working. Yes, that can often mean in the middle of a funeral.

“After the first season, people would come around and be like ‘can we have a selfie?’ and we thought, ‘Really? With a funeral director?’” Kaiora, 36, says. “But even now, at a funeral with Francis, he’ll be placing the casket inside the hearse and we haven’t even closed the car door and the family will want a selfie. It’s happened so many times, even when he’s going down the aisle with the casket, people will be like…”

“‘Can we have a selfie?’ Francis, 36, says, making a camera click gesture with his hands. “Sometimes I’m like [his voice drops to a whisper] ‘Shall we have the funeral first, and have a selfie after?’”

A full-on juggle

With five children at home, there is already a lot of juggling going on – even before you throw in the fact that the Tipenes also run their own business and are now global television stars. When HarperCollins first suggested the pair could write a book, it’s easy to understand why their initial response was a flat-out no. Never.