Kaiora and Francis Tipene from The Casketeers
The Casketeers, the reality series about an Auckland funeral business owned by husband and wife Francis and Kaiora Tipene, returns for a new season. They tell Sarah Nealon about grief, love, money and the misconceptions about being on television.
The Casketeers was a show that charmed the nation when the first season screened last year.
Centred around Auckland-based husband-and-wife funeral directors Francis and Kaiora Tipene, it was well-received by viewers and critics.
Moving, funny and informative, the programme provided an insightful but respectful look at what happens when a life ends.
There were also scenes of Francis reluctantly exercising with a personal trainer, handing out fat-burning pills to a staff member and obsessing over his leaf blower.
He tried a casket for size, bought a cheap van (which turned out to be a lemon) for an employee, and sung and played guitar for mourners. You could argue he was the show’s break-out star.
“I am blown away actually by the reaction of New Zealanders,” says Francis. “When they (The Casketeers makers) told us about the show, I honestly thought it was just a documentary. When we saw the first episode, I hit the roof. I was so upset.”
It turns out Francis wasn’t thrilled about being shown on national television dishing out weight-loss pills.
“I rang the producers and said, ‘What’s going on?’,” he recalls. “Then they showed me how many people were viewing it. I was like, ‘Wow. I thought people wouldn’t like it’.”
But like it they did. In November it was announced Netflix would stream the programme, taking it to an international audience.
Now the show is back on TVNZ for a second season and this time Francis is a bit more relaxed about it, even if he’s unsure of its content.
“I honestly don’t know what they’ve used,” he says. “They just follow us.”
Francis and his wife Kaiora, who are both 35, are the proprietors of Tipene Funerals. They have four sons together and are expecting their fifth child, a boy, in
mid-January. (Francis has an older son with a previous partner.)
When asked about how they cope working together and living together, they burst into laughter before turning serious.
“When we’re apart from each other, it is like half of me is missing,” says Francis. “When we’re together it’s like, ‘Oh it’s so annoying’ but when I’m at a funeral by myself or with another staff member, I feel lonely and detached.”
Watching the show, it’s obvious the couple make a good team.
“Kaiora is fantastic with money and I just have the ideas on how to spend it,” says Francis.
“But it all revolves around the families and the business. Another thing is, ‘Why are you putting so much into this?’,” he says looking around the plush, newly refurbished upstairs area of their premises in the suburb of Onehunga. “Because we don’t have a home, we’re renting. Who can afford to buy in Auckland unless
you bought 10 years ago? We go through the same struggles as everyone else but people think, ‘Oh you’re on TV, you must be rolling in it’. But that’s a myth.”
In The Casketeers’ first season, Francis was portrayed as someone who obsessed over minor details. His pedantic behaviour sometimes frustrated the staff.
“People say, ‘Oh you’re a clean freak’ but if you come to our house it’s anything but clean,” he says.
“We’ve got four boys. But it’s just that this is the business. We want you to feel like you’re the only family that’s ever been here.”
Not surprisingly, working in the funeral industry has made Francis and Kaiora consider their own send-offs – when their time comes.
“Everyone probably expects that I want a big glamorous funeral but actually I don’t,” says Francis.
“And I don’t want to be embalmed because I don’t want my colleagues seeing me naked.”
Being around death has taught Francis and Kaiora many things, including how precious life is.
“We see so many cases and so many different situations,” says Kaiora. “It’s just that form of loss. I can only relate back to my own personal loss. That’s how I can relate to the families and what they are going through and their stages.
“But it’s taught me to be mindful of life really. I’m so grateful for my children, I’m so grateful for my husband. I’ve learned to just love my family even more. “You tend to have a cry now and then which is fine (at work). Some other funeral directors may debate that because of your professionalism but we’re only human at the end of the day. It’s OK to cry when you feel you need to.”