Profile
Compassionate Caregivers & Guardians of Farewell
Meet Francis and Kaiora Tipene from The Casketeers – passionate funeral directors and beloved Netflix stars. Francis (Te Rarawa) discovered his calling more than 13 years ago, with his first job at a funeral home in Auckland. Since then, his passion for the job blossomed into a fully fledged
vocation, with he and his wife now running their very own funeral directing business – Tipene Funerals. Renowned for his guitar-playing ability and beautiful singing voice, Francis leads every funeral with passion, dignity and precision. Kaiora (Te Rarawa, Ngāi Takoto) met Francis at Te Wananga o te Takiura (Māori training college), and now her role as Company Director is integral to the successful running of Tipene Funerals. Their aroha for their jobs along with their success led to the hugely popular Casketeers series as well as the release of their number one best-selling book Life as a Casketeer: What the Business of Death Can Teach the Living. Following on from their bestseller, Life as a Casketeer, Francis and Kaiora Tipene share how they bring the traditional values of tikanga Māori into day-to-day living. Through their social media, Kaiora and Francis share their remarkable experiences and knowledge of a part of life that touches everyone eventually.
Ethnicity
Māori
Iwi
Te Rarawa, Ngāi Takoto
Location
Auckland , New Zealand
Interests
Family & Friends
Speaking Topics
Business, Innovation
Social Links
Event Highlights
| 2024 | NZACA Conference and Gala Dinner, New Zealand Aged Care Association - MCs & Speakers | ||
| 2023 | Our Voices: The Journey To Healthy Futures, Health Quality & Safety Commission - Speakers | ||
| 2023 | PaeRangi Indigenous Social Enterprise Forum, Te Whanau O Waipereira Trust - Speaker | ||
| 2022 | Eat, Talk, Connect, ILT - Speakers | ||
| 2021 | Te Putahitanga Whanau Ora Symposium 2021, Te Runanga o Otakou - MC | ||
Testimonials (2)
Tanaya ShangarpawarTheir keynote focused on ‘what have Francis and Kaiora Tipene of Tipene Funerals learnt over the many years of caring for whānau in their communities? Their session offered insights from their own experiences to better care for those around us and aspire to pae ora’.
Francis and Kaiora were exceptional speakers, capturing the audience with their authentic selves, their warm demeanour and their amazing waiata and poi entertainment. The comments and feedback from the audience sang their praises for being leaders in their space. They lead with aroha and tikanga in their business and their words resonated with everyone in the room. Ngā mihi ki a kōrua, Francis and Kaiora, for being part of our kaupapa at the Our voices | Ō mātou reo. We look forward to connecting with you in the future.
Our voices | Ō mātou reo event at Te Pae, Christchurch 2023