Auckland funeral director urges Pacific families to save for funerals to avoid going into debt

A South Auckland-based funeral director is urging Pasifika families to think ahead about saving for funerals; rather than finding themselves burdened with debt after a loved one’s death.

Ese Tatupu is a well-known name among the Pacific and Samoan communities around Auckland and is the owner of a funeral home business that carries the same name.

Tatupu, who grew up in Otara, has worked in the funeral industry for more than 20 years and understands the expectations and monetary struggles Pasifika families, in particular, find themselves in when having to pay for a loved one’s funeral.

“In our community, nobody wants to talk about death. It’s not until someone dies that everybody panics,” he says.

“Other cultures, it’s easy to talk about it - and they talk about it and plan it.”

Tatupu started his career in the late 1990s working under funeral director Lambert Fountain, of what is now Fountains Funerals & Monuments, based in Papakura.

South Auckland funeral director Ese Tatupu has worked in the industry for more than 20 years. Photo / Sylvie Whinray

It was a career that was sparked early on in his life, after the death of his father when he was just a little boy.

In those first few years working in the funeral business, Tatupu said he quickly learned about things he did not grow up knowing about - namely life insurance, death or funeral insurance and pre-paid funeral plans.

“It took me working in a palagi funeral home to understand the importance of those.”

Tatupu said over the last few years, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic, he has seen changes in trends among the Pacific community when farewelling loved ones.

They include the popularity of online streaming services - with funerals being broadcast on Facebook and YouTube - and more Pasifika families looking at cremation over the customary burial option.

Some people choose cremation because it is a request from the family member whose wishes are for their ashes to be returned to their Pacific homeland.

“Then you’ve got people who will look at the money side and that’s why they choose it.”

Change in funeral trends

A Funeral Industry Trends Report published late last year showed burials remain more popular with Pacific peoples and Māori over cremation; with 72 per cent of Pasifika being laid to rest in a council ground or cemetery.

Pacific communities also reported having the lowest number of cremations compared to other New Zealanders, with 21 per cent of Pacific peoples being cremated.

Auckland-based Samoan funeral director Ese Tatupu in his younger years. Photo / Supplied

The cost of burying a loved one has, however, increased in many parts of the country. The average cost of a burial in a council cemetery is now between $4315 and $7207, according to the report.

The Manukau Memorial Gardens, a popular choice for Pasifika families, had a 9 per cent increase in its total cost for burials - going from $5600 in 2022 to $6112 last year.

Waikumete Cemetery, in West Auckland, had the same increase in percentage and price over the same period.

According to the report, the cost of a basic funeral last year was up to $7500 if a person was cremated and up to $10,000 for a burial funeral.

Figures also showed that the Work and Income NZ funeral grant - currently $2445.37 available to those who meet income and asset testing limits - is paid out to just under 5000 Kiwis each year.

In the last five years, the number of WINZ grants averaged about 4900 each year.

“The Funeral Directors Association has campaigned for over 20 years to increase the grant amount, noting the disproportionate harm to vulnerable New Zealanders - particularly Māori and Pacific Peoples,” the report said.

Tatupu acknowledged the need for government officials to step up in that regard; especially given the ongoing effects of the cost of living crisis.

“The WINZ financial grant is accessible to those with a low income. Our Pacific families are aware of it. We’re seeing that a lot of WINZ applications from Pacific Island people.”

A call for cultural change to lessen financial burdens

He also called on Pacific communities and families to take it upon themselves to adapt or change cultural customs or traditional protocols that can leave families struggling financially or deep in debt.

In Samoan custom, for example, extended families are expected to bring monetary gifts as well as other items including fine mats, boxes of corned beef, boxes of chicken and beef.

The team at Ese Tatupu Funeral Directors, based in South Auckland, pictured during Covid-19 funeral restrictions.

Tatupu said it took his own mother’s funeral to open his eyes to the need for change.

“I don’t know if we can ever get away from it. You’ve got the corned beef and boxes of chicken and there’s a small percentage of families who access their KiwiSaver.

“In our culture, the extended family comes together and they chip in. Families are very supportive and are giving.

“We weren’t brought up to understand what insurance can do for us or our lives. It’s not actually that much - all you’re doing is investing in yourself or your family in case something happens.”

Tatupu urged Pacific families to start conversations about death - often a taboo topic among Pasifika - and to look into pre-paid funeral plans many funeral homes under the Funeral Directors Association of NZ have available.

Tatupu, a father to 10 children, gives his own family as an example. When his time comes, everything is sorted - something that gives him peace, he says.

“I just want my family to be safe.”

Vaimoana Mase is the Pasifika editor for the Herald’s Talanoa section, sharing stories from the Pacific community. She won junior reporter of the year at the then Qantas Media Awards in 2010 and picked up the best opinion writing award at the 2023 Voyager Media Awards.