A NEW MANAGER, BUT SAME VALUES

Acareer change from police detective to funeral director might seem unexpected, but the two have plenty in common, says the new manager of Vospers Funeral Home. Former Detective Senior Sergeant Mike Aro has taken the helm at historic Vospers, which has served the New Plymouth community since 1933. For 25 years he has risen through police ranks, although he first worked as a funeral director in the 1980s soon after leaving high school, and became a qualified embalmer and funeral director. To succeed in both careers you need a good dose of empathy and calm, Aro says. “You’re dealing with people who are hurting, they’re looking for answers, and they want help. They’re looking for comfort.” Funerals have evolved from when Aro first worked in the industry. Although fundamentally the same, modern society has become much more culturally diverse and there seems to be more emphasis on personal freedoms. Tradition certainly has its place, but some families regret opting for conservative funerals where personal touches would have meant more, Aro says. Ensuring Vospers keeps up with modern expectations was a real attraction of his new job. “Tradition is not something to turn your nose up at, but you only get one chance to do a funeral properly, and people are looking for meaning,” he says. “I think there’s room to modernise, and a lot of scope to bring in a fresh set of eyes and look at things differently.” A lack of regulation in the funeral industry is another challenge for venerable institutions, which continually need to prove their credentials. Training and education is at the heart of the success of businesses such as Vospers. “The challenge for all of us is making sure Vospers is a name that remains respected as it has been for the past eight decades.” An immediate difference for Aro will be the scale of his workplace - moving from co-managing more than 30 staff and coordinating the region’s adult sexual assault investigations, to heading a team of three funeral directors and embalmers at Vospers. But both roles are true vocations with huge importance for the New Plymouth community, he says. “This is a huge challenge, and it’s a complete lifestyle change.” Vospers staff Andrew King, Jacqueline Cox and Brent Fraser and provide a superb service to Taranaki, and Aro is thrilled to join them. “They are passionate about the community they live in and the families they work with. I’m glad to be working with people who are like that.” A funeral director’s role has always been to guide families through their grief, and educate the community about best preparing for death. But research in recent decades has led to much more insight about the impact of the grieving process, Aro says. “You can’t go on the journey for people. I believe that we are in a unique position to help people realise that death is a natural and normal part of life. We don’t keep anything about what we do secret. The more people understand, the more they will appreciate that a funeral professional and the services they provide are vital to our community.” Wellington-born Aro is deeply embedded in the Taranaki community, having lived here for two decades. His wife Deahne is a new entrant school teacher, while his son and daughter, both in their early 20s, are currently overseas in Sydney and Japan respectively. From his police career where he often needed to remain anonymous, Aro will now be a very public face of his industry, doing plenty of outreach and education work in the region. “There’s a lot of work ahead, but I think this is going to be something I really enjoy and that’s really meaningful,” he says.