The Casketeers are back and they’re going global - Spy

The Casketeers are changing it up and taking things international.

Excited for a new season? The Casketeers: Life and Death Around the World has started filming after a hiatus.

Spy can reveal filming has begun on Aotearoa’s favourite funeral directors Kaiora and Francis Tipene’s new show The Casketeers: Life and Death Around the World.

The sixth and final season of The Casketeers screened last October, five and a half years after series one debuted. Over the years, the Onehunga-based couple and their Tipene Funerals team incorporated Māori practices, mixed with sensitivity and a sense of humour, educating and entertaining fans all over the world.

In late 2022, the Tipenes told fans that after season six, they would be taking a break from the show to focus on their family.

Kaiora told the Herald they have given all they can to the industry and were proud to have portrayed their tangihanga, their people and how cultures around Aotearoa grieve and celebrate life differently.

Last year NZ on Air revealed the beloved Kiwi show would return for another season on TVNZ1, this time changing it up and taking things international.

The show, which will include six episodes, was allocated a total of $1,537,537 NZ on Air funding and will screen next year.

Last August, the couple added to their family of six sons with the arrival of their precious baby daughter Ngāwaiata.

After a summer filled with quality family time, the Tipenes recently started filming their global travelogue series, where they delve into not only the cultures and rituals in death, but also the lives of the people they encounter - their whānau, culture and beliefs.

TVNZ confirmed to Spy the Tipenes have already filmed in Tonga, where Francis also connected with his Tongan whānau.

While there, the Tipenes are said to have met with members of the Tongan royal family.

For their next trip, the Tipenes will explore Vanuatu, and later this year they will travel further afield to examine how others around the world celebrate the gift of life and the heartbreak of loss.

Kaiora has previously said she also hoped to visit Mexico to experience the country’s Day of the Dead.