(CURIOUS MUSIC) Nga kupu hauraro na Kristin Williams. Kua whakatikaia e Glenna Casalme. Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2019 (BELL TOLLS) (FIONA LAUGHS) Oh, Fiona, look at this one, dear. The forest one. Beautiful, eh? The tapa ` I mean, that's been very popular. ALL: Mm. That's just an example of the green weaving, and then we've got things like the paua and the piano. Today we're having a spontaneous meeting. Everyone's here, and so we're gonna talk about some personalised caskets. So in theory, that` So if we selected this one, it would be covered, the casket? Yeah, the whole casket. Beautiful. So the whole casket would come out exactly like these designs. Wow. Nowadays personalised caskets are becoming ever so more popular. You can get caskets with photos on it, cats, dogs, glitter. You can even get caskets with LED lights in them. This is the tropical flowers which we had the LED lights around that I showed you` Yes. At the trade show? ...at the trade show. You know, if you have an evening funeral, but also if families take the casket home, then they can have the lights on at night, and we can put it on` Dear. (MOUTHS) ...in either the white LEDs or` (LAUGHTER) What? It comes out really nice. Is she trying to imagine what it would be like? (LAUGHS) I don't know why she's laughing, cos she's the one who loves lights and different colours and everything out there. You would be amazed. 'LED light casket? Not really. That wouldn't be me.' When I die ` I've already told my son what I want ` everything must be purple. See, this is one image where it actually shows. So we have pink handles and the LEDs, and the LEDs changed. I'm so bored of just, you know, plain coffins. Let's` Let's go. Let's go together. Let's go to the future. It's amazing. Is that for sale, dear? Yeah. I love that casket with the LED lights. I've ordered it. (PLAYFUL MUSIC) (POIGNANT MUSIC) Oh, this is the one that's got that concrete barrier down the back there. That's right. So once we hit that, then we know we've gone far enough. Mm-hm. (HANDBRAKE CREAKS) Today we're at the hospice, and we're here to uplift a 45-year-old matua. OK. His name is Wayne Amiga, and he passed away from having a cancer on his tongue. (WOMAN SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY) Hey, Wayne. Brother. Malo. Malo. This is Francis; Francis, this is Dad. In the room with Wayne is his dad, his brother, his sister-in-law and his cousin. (POIGNANT MUSIC) So what we're gonna do` Cocoon him in the sheet, eh? And just together. No rush for this part. One, two, three. Bring him over slow. Yeah. Beautiful. Just a bit there. Just hold there. Oh, natural position, eh? Logan, can you come over this side, e hoa? Yep. Logan is lovely with families. You'd be surprised how many families comment to me or call me, text me, message me about the way they were treated with him. Now, just bring the middle area. I want to look after his head as we pull him. One, two, three. That's better. Here we go, Wayne. 'Wayne's tongue is... protruding from his mouth' due to the cancer within his mouth` or on his tongue that's pushing it forward, and so his mouth's not able to close. And in my years of funeral directing, I've never seen this before. Beautiful. Grab the cover, e hoa, and we'll get the cover ready. Family, this is just to go over his head area, just so the cover doesn't touch his face, eh? 'Wayne's family would like an open casket, so that means, essentially, that we need to close his mouth.' I'm just gonna go this way. There's a little bump here. There we go. And a small bump there. There we go. Come with us this way. 'We're taking Wayne to our embalmer, so we need to check to see how 'he can help us have an open casket and close Wayne's mouth.' (SLOW PIANO MUSIC) Vincent, is there any way that you could close his mouth for the family? They'd love to have an open casket and to see him. You know? Yeah. Yes. There should be something we'll be able to do with that. Beautiful. Thank you. Oh. Here we go, mate. And clean shaven, eh, e hoa? Please. Hmm. Wayne's situation and circumstance is not an everyday case that we come across. He's a Boyz II Men fan, so if you'd like to sing him some songs, e hoa, kei te pai, yeah? So I'm hoping for the best under the circumstances. (INDISTINCT ANNOUNCEMENT) VOICEOVER: Oh, he hasn't heard! Checked baggage is included to Aussie. Plus food and entertainment on your own device. As it should be. Book now at virginaustralia.com. What makes you happy? Smarter ways to get around the city? Like driving past the petrol pump with the Plug-in Hybrid Electric Prius Prime ` goes up to 63km on electric alone... and has an unbelievably efficient fuel consumption. Whoa. That is clever. Plus, with Toyota Safety Sense technology, like Adaptive High Beam and Intelligent Park Assist, it's one of the smartest ways to get around ` all for a very smart Toyota Driveaway price. (GENTLE PIANO MUSIC) Today is the final funeral service for Wayne, after which he will be buried. Our embalmer was able to close Wayne's mouth, and he restored his integrity and his mana, and there's no trace of the cancer that was there. I'm so pleased that the family were able to see him. It's been four or five days, and his casket lid is still off, and the family have had all that time to be with him. Down together. Down the staircase. Nice and easy. No rush. Feet first into the hearse. 'I haven't done a funeral in a while with Logan.' Yep. Bring his feet around. Yep. 'Logan is a very warm person ` a person of few words,' and he has that strength of connecting with families a little more than I do, and, you know, I get envious of him sometimes, cos I think, 'How do you do it when you hardly say anything?' But, possibly, that might be the key. (CHURCH ORGAN MUSIC) So what we'll do is we'll hold him up here for some time, yeah? Just until our ministers are ready, yeah? Wayne's final funeral service is being held at the EFKS Onehunga Church. He grew up in this area, and he attended that church, so it's so appropriate that he returns back there for his final service. (MINISTER SPEAKS IN SAMOAN) And Wayne's final resting place will be at the Manukau Memorial gardens, and he will be buried on top of his mum. Let's go. Nice and easy. Yeah. As we go over the grave, we're gonna extend our hands out, yeah? No rush. Take our time. Wayne's mum died 10 years ago. Nowadays it's very common for people to be buried with relatives or their loved ones who are presently interred at cemeteries. Keep level. All the way. Nice and slow. No rush. Take your time. Down together. (POIGNANT MUSIC) The funeral has gone beautifully, smoothly, and Logan has been awesome. I'm very proud of him today. (PLAYFUL MUSIC) (MISCHIEVOUS MUSIC) Today I'm in the city because I need to get a morning suit made for me. I've got a stunning, um,... trouser, which I had in mind for you. Francis and his suits ` yeah, he buys way too many. He doesn't need so much. It's quite a traditional trouser to wear with` Beautiful. ...a morning coat or a set of tails. So it'll be` It'll look like that, eh? That's correct. So jacket and trouser. That's right. Mm. Francis loves anything that stands out ` that stands out above... everything else. I'd like my morning suit to be a little bit different - not so traditional, and I want it to have a little bit of personality. Is it` Is it, um,... courageous of me to get a bit of sparkle in the vest? Tell me the truth. I don't care. I mean, I don't know` I`I-I-I would normally` I would normally say... for your line of work,... Yeah, OK. Bring it down. ...it could be just a little bit too... Showy? ...spicy. Gotcha. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you, Carl. No, I was just thinking because we've got the black, the grey. Yeah. And that's a perfect family. But I thought, 'To be that little bit different... should I add something?' 100%. I just wonder if it might be a little bit too, I guess,... jovial. Mm. It's a funeral, not a dinner. Yes. Yes. Yeah. OK. Carl, in his wisdom, tones me down and reminds me of the job I do and the work, um, that, you know, it's for a funeral. It's not a stage show or anything like that. Cos if I had the opportunity, heck, there'd be bells and whistles on it. But... it's about... uh, not about me. And so just trying to keep that in mind ` that it's a funeral. That's right. Yes. However, I can put sparkle in the details. We're gonna start with the buttons. Mm-hm. And... I've got a beautiful button here ` it's called a Black Shell ` to offer some discrete contrast. Oh, this button here? That's correct. This one here. (GASPS) I love it, Carl. And a beautiful, um, nod to... Yeah, absolutely. It's a representation of, you know` That's right. ...all our whakairo and all the carvings, they all have, like, little paua in the eyes. This is the thing. So I thought that'd be really, really beautiful. Carl knows his stuff. He knows the business. Um, he has all these years of experience. So, Francis, please, if you'd like to put on this coat. Sure. Oh, this makes me feel skinny. This is great. That's cos you are skinny. Oh, thank you, Carl. OK, so if you'd like to turn around and face me. Mm-hm. So you picked two jackets out before I arrived? Or when I arrived you looked at me and thought, 'I know what size.' Yes. I do that with caskets too. (PLAYFUL MUSIC) (SLOW PIANO MUSIC) Francis. Yes, dear? Come on. Coming. Today in our care we have the late Mrs Tafao Kalolo. Mrs Kalolo died of cancer. The family are close family friends of ours from church. Are you gonna put lipstick on her, dear? No. Oh. She was quite plain Jane. Not even a little sparkly? No. Tafao was very loved by everyone. Even church members loved her because her character was so soft and, you know, free-giving. I was a bit of a naughty kid those days, and she would just laugh at my growlings. And, you know... Yeah, but she great. She always gave us food. (CHUCKLES) Mm? What about a little` What about a natural, you know... some lipstick or... I was planning to put on just a gloss-type lipstick on her. Yes. That's it. Beautiful, dear. That's it. And see, it's not too much and it's not over the top ` just a little bit of shine. She looks absolutely beautiful. It looks like she's just resting at home. Um... Her daughter said that she doesn't even look like she had any kind of sickness. Beautiful. * Dear, are we ready? Yeah. (LAUGHS) Quickly. (CHORTLES) This morning, Nona and I are preparing for Mrs Kalolo's funeral. I'm your assistant today, dear. I'm gonna go, 'Hey! Psh! Don't stand around. Come here. Get dirty.' And the boss will be me. And I made it nice and clear to him. I wanna run through a funeral checklist that I normally go through, with Fiona, but she's not used to it and she doesn't like it. So, have we got flowers? Yes. Where? At the house. OK. Rose heads? Yes, in the car. I've got the speaker system. Order of service sheets? Yes, sorted. They got their own? Yeah. Do I need a checklist with Francis on the funeral day? No, I don't. We're gonna chuck a trolley in the black Cadie? It's inside the house. Mangere Lawn Cemetery are all confirmed that they have the casket measurements? Like, yesterday. Yes. 'I'm not saying I don't trust her. Absolutely, I do. But even the best of us forget things.' (ENGINES HUM SOFTLY) Morning. Malo soifua. Morning. Morning. Malo. Malo lava. Morning. Morning, family. Morning. Hi, Nona. (GENTLE MUSIC) O a mai oe? Manuia. 'I do love doing Samoan funerals,' given that I can speak the language, and there is a lot of respect given to us, as funeral directors, from our people. (SPEAKS SAMOAN) Nona is well and truly in her zone. She's directing people. Sometimes she forgets that I don't understand Samoan. She yells out Samoan commands to me, but she's totally in the zone and it's just really neat to watch. In the centre. That's the one. All the way to the middle. Yeah. That's it. Until you stop, yeah. Beautiful. Yeah. Bring him on the right-hand side. OK. Sorry. I'll move back, eh? The husband is very lost without his wife. She's been the supportive wife that every mans dreams of. This is Tafao. So he is a bit lost at the moment, but he's got good support from his children. (GENTLE MUSIC) (GENTLE MUSIC CONTINUES) There are a lot of laces that are being placed on top of her casket today on her funeral day, and these are just the significant gifts from families. It most definitely is love and respect. I mean, I've taken care of a few Samoan ministers and their wives, and there are lots of those 'ie that go on top. And so she must've been a well-respected and loved woman. Once we leave the funeral service from the church, we have been asked by the immediate family to do a drive-by past her home that she lived with her husband and daughter. (GENTLE MUSIC) (HEARSE TOOTS) (GENTLE MUSIC CONTINUES) Funerals definitely do bring Samoan families together. And sometimes they can bring the good and bad, which is great, because at the time of death, there is no right or wrong. We're there to support each other. (MINSTER SPEAKS IN SAMOAN) (FORLORN MUSIC) ALL: # Tofa. Tofa. Tofa. # Fiona drives me nuts on a daily basis, but she is awesome ` amazing. I absolutely respect Fiona as a funeral director, as a friend and as a colleague, and I wouldn't really want to be in this industry without her. (PLAYFUL MUSIC) Dear, thank you for coming, because I wanted to show you the new casket. It's got lights. 'No one knows how much it costs to get to heaven,' so I can't put a price on light. (SNIGGERS) It's a little bit over the top, but who gives a... who gives a toot? Cos it's gonna be amazing. I'll just turn the lights off. Lights off! And then look at this. Ae, aue! It doesn't surprise me at all that Francis loves the LED casket. I know Fiona loves purple. Boom. Is there purple? Yeah, here. There. Look at that. Oh, hang on. Wait there. That looks blue. Dear, I'm just figuring it out. When I see that casket, in my head, I'm thinking, 'What kind of family do I need to sell this to?' Like, you know, I'm thinking culture-wise, 'Who would be the ones that would suit it?' (CHUCKLES) Is there a purple? Yes, there is. Just taihoa. Oh, that's a lie. Lights on! (SCOFFS) No. There's always teething problems with every new thing you get, so don't worry. (AWKWARD MUSIC) Oh. Uh. Uh. There. Sort of... ish. That's purple? Yeah. Purpley. Yeah. It's actually quite beautiful, this casket, and I'm loving the colours on it. Can it flicker? Yeah, of course. (SPUTTERS, LAUGHS) 'I would love something different.' I'm unsure if I would want flickering lights around my lid, though. I'm unsure about that. (LAUGHS) Lights off! ALL: Ahh. So everyone gonna have their service at night? Yes. When it's dark? (LAUGHS) No, well, if we have the service during the day, we just ask for the lights to be off and the curtains closed. 'I love the LED lights around the casket because it's so different.' And do you know what the beautiful thing is? When the body's in there and you're sitting in the chapel, in the service, you can share the remote around to the whanau. Ew, no. That's tutu. No, it's not. It's aroha. So some whanau ` 'You do the green,' and then you hand the remote over; they want to do the yellow. And then you might give it to nan, who's traditional. She might turn it off. (LAUGHS) No doubt, somebody's gonna come along and say, 'Oh, but it's, you know, the battery, the lead in the earth.' OK. I get it. But, you know, just for now, while the body's in the chapel, let's turn the lights on. Get the music and just celebrate. Let's go, the disco. (CHUCKLES)