Life As A Casketeer

Francis and Kaiora Tipene aren’t your typical funeral directors. With their famous humour and big-hearted personalities, the TVNZ and Netflix reality TV stars are changing the way we think about death and grief.

Life as a Casketeer reveals how Francis and Kaiora grew up in families that had few possessions but were rich with love and tikanga, and how they came to work in their often-misunderstood profession. It’s also a book about the Maori world view and traditional funeral customs. The Tipenes make death feel less mysterious and life feel more precious.

But most of all, Life as a Casketeer is a love story - for whanau, for culture and for each other. It is full of joy and sorrow, tears and laughter.