An oasis away from work
Stars of the hit TVNZ show The Casketeers, Francis and Kaiora Tipene, are the passionate proprietors of Tipene Funerals. They’re renowned for the love and respect they show families grieving a lost one.
That warmth and compassion can be felt in the home they share with their five sons and extended family in Onehunga, Auckland.
‘‘Our home is our marae. We always have mattresses at the ready for any wha¯nau that turn up,’’ Kaiora said.
After a long day, the family enjoy relaxing in their living room, or talking around the dinner table.
‘‘When I sit and eat with my family, and we are all together it is the best feeling in the world. We talk, we laugh and heck occasionally we even cry,’’ Kaiora said.
Music plays a huge part in the Tipene household, with Kaiora describing a family life similar to that in the The Sound of Music.
‘‘Our children love singing – especially our 5-year-old. They love playing instruments too,’’ she said.
Describe your house in two sentences...
Our home is our marae. We always have mattresses at the ready for any wha¯nau that turn up.
Describe your style in three words...
Practical, modern, economical.
Where is your home and who lives there with you?
Our home is in Onehunga. I live with my husband and five handsome sons, and I wouldn’t
have it any other way.
Your favourite room/area in the house and why?
My favourite area in the house is always the lounge. It’s a place that I can relax with my husband and all my boys. After a long day at work we all simply put our feet up and lax out in the lounge.
Finish this sentence with an anecdote. ‘‘Once someone came to my door and…"
My husband answered in his boxer shorts.
Your proudest DIY moment?
Changing the toilet seat!
If my partner would let me, I would get rid of...
All of his shoes. OK, maybe just most of them. But seriously, there are lots of shoes.
Worst thing that’s ever gone wrong while entertaining?
I burnt the chicken. I was having such a good laugh with my cousin that I totally forgot about it. When I went to serve it no-one commented. No-one went for seconds. But they ate all the dessert.
Title of a book, film or TV show that best describes the mood in your home?
The Sound of Music. Our children love singing especially our 5-yearold . . . playing instruments too.
Best money you have ever spent on the house?
Probably not so much the house but refurbishing. We refurbished the lounge and dining area.
One item I wish I had kept or not got rid of is...
My old VHS tapes. They had a lot of my kapa haka performances and footage of all my siblings in our
childhood days.
Favourite piece of furniture?
The dining table. When I sit and eat with my family and we are all together it is the best feeling in the world. We talk, we laugh and heck occasionally we even cry.
If I had $50k, what I would change about my house is...
Expanding mine and my husband’s wardrobe space.
Which home habit annoys you the most?
I seem to always trip over the kids’ toys. They play and leave their toys everywhere around the house and I constantly find myself either picking them up or falling over them.
What’s one domestic/ housework/gardening trick you’ve learnt over the years?
My mum loves reusing things. She would do her best to reuse first before recycling. She taught me to cut a plastic bottle in half poke holes in and screw it to a hose so it’s used as a sprinkler to water the garden.