(MELLOW THEME MUSIC) Captions by Stephanie Phan. Edited by Lillie Balfour. Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2021 (MUSIC FADES) (NO AUDIO) (WHIMSICAL MUSIC) - The idea of this is to design all of these pots exactly the same. Before we leave for the school holidays with the children, I thought, 'Let's get everyone together and we'll have a team building exercise.' With your scissors, you need to cut... your oasis to fit in the middle here. - So we're gonna cut it in half? - Yeah. - Looks like it. - Up here, so they fit in the six. - My husband, now, is taking us... on a journey with his... bushes. We're gonna play with bushes. - I know Fehi loves flowers. - That ` I didn't really find that, um` (LAUGHS) entertaining. What if I'm not` I'm not really interested in this? - (GASPS) - (WOMAN CHORTLES) - Had to be you. Take your mind off food. - (LAUGHS) Shut up! - No, kidding. I'll ring Lync to bring some food down. - (GROANS) Francis. No, I'm not hungry. (MAN CHUCKLES) (WHIMSICAL MUSIC) - I think the idea of creating a floral arrangement is` is beautiful. I'm just unsure if I, you know, if I got my coordination right around all of this cos, to me, it's all green. Then it all looks like bush. - Darling, are you OK? What's wrong? - Well, it just feels like it's a... - (WOMAN LAUGHS) - It's a what? - Just a bunch of greenery. - Yeah, it's just like... blob. - (EXHALES) Oh. - I don't know. - It's OK. This is just working your creative side as a whanau. It was a team building exercise, not a team putting-down exercise so I had to lift everyone up. I didn't want it to whakaiti anyone during that time. - (LAUGHS) Yeah, it looks wrong. - (WHEEZES) - No, this is supposed to be, like, in one. - Oh, it's not spread. - Yeah. Try again? - I have other petals here. (LAUGHTER) - Ohhh. Yeah, I see. - Yours is good, e hoa. Just let me change it. - It just needs to bunch up... - Push it down. There we go. - Ah. - You can grab one more, Logan ` like this. - Oh, I'm gonna` - Oh, do we get two? - Yeah, two each. And then one on each side like this, and that just adds a flower component. This is coming together, e hoa. - (CHAIR CLATTERS) - Well done. - He pulls it all apart and he puts it all back together again, then he tells you, 'Oh, you've done an amazing job.' (SCOFFS) Me or you? - If we wanted everything to look like this, some would look like this, some would look like this. So it was good to learn about perspective, but at the end of the day, I just went and straightened everything up to make sure that they all look the same. I'll put 'em here just so you can see. - Your one looks bald in the middle. - Where? - It looks bald in the middle. It looks like it's got nothing in here. - In where? - There. Like, it's a bit... - Sorry, Fehi. Can I have a look? - Like, you know how our one is a bit... - Oh yeah, no. You're quite right. You're quite right. So what we need to do is lift some of this up and add. I'm open to criticism, you know. We're all learning. If we just put them all next to Logan's,... (LIGHT-HEARTED MUSIC) - Let's all have a look. - You can just tell by his face that he was not happy. (LAUGHS) (WHIMSICAL MUSIC) There you go. - (WOMAN CHUCKLES) - Well done, team! - (APPLAUSE BUILDS) - Ah... Tu mihi. - Mr Tipene, you don't look very happy. - No, no. Yeah, yeah. - OK. - (LOGAN LAUGHS) - Yes. - All right. Should we clean up? It's good. They're able to communicate, have a laugh, have a joke around, and that's really the aim of the game ` for us to be free a little bit, you know, away from families and have a laugh and a yarn. But, um` You know, I'll be tidying up the bushes at the end of the day. (PEACEFUL MUSIC) (SOMBRE STRING MUSIC) - Today in our care we have Mr Rapi Elenio Tofa, who was 78 years old, and he's been in our care for a number of weeks now as the family are waiting for family members to come out of quarantine in the hotel. - Your sons are gonna come and dress you today. Mr Rapi Elenio Tofa also has a Matai name, Muliaga. - Whanau waiting for you. Thank you, Suga. (SOMBRE STRING MUSIC) - Hello, Mr Tofa. (SMACKS LIPS) Oh... Let Lapi and them know ` once he's dressed, we're just going to do a little bit of makeup to bring him back the colour. - Yep. - (CLATTERING) - And I'll do that once he's in the pusa so that it's easier to see. Oh, talofa. Look at that. Family's so happy, huh? - His sons, Lapi Mariner and Peter, have now come out of isolation. - NONA: Malo lava tina. - Me and Lapi, we have grown up in our PIPC churches. SPEAKS SAMOAN: We've played games against each other, like cricket. I don't know if Lapi really played cricket cos all I did see him was in his church bus all the time. And our families are very well connected in the community. Lapi and his brother, Peter, have come through with Dad's attire. It is a complete white suit with a white tie. In our Samoan custom, white represents new life. (GENTLE MUSIC) - Oh hey, Dad. - In here. - (CLEARS THROAT) - We'll leave you, huh? OK. - WOMAN SPEAKS SAMOAN: - SPEAKS SAMOAN: * (GENTLE MUSIC) - We're going shopping today for some lights which I really, really love, and we're gonna go and explore and have a look to see what they have available for us. Kapi i te kuaha. Well, I just come` me and Waylon and Lync to look for a nice chandelier to go in a funeral home,... - I see. - ...you know, for the dead people. - Yep, yep. - So I'm looking for something that represents heaven. - Heaven. - You know, like white, pearly. - Come this way. - Thank you. - So, this one... - Ooh! - ...over here. - It's beautiful. Do you have two of those? - I can check that for you. - Please, dear. She showed me a few options, but we knew which ones we wanted. Um... Yeah. - So, right now that is sold out. However, we do have new coming stock in about six weeks' time. - OK. - Would that be OK for you? - No, that's too long. What?! Why would you have these things on` Especially, you know, I was thinking, 'Why would you display a lot of things and they're not even here?' What have we got right now, dear? Of two. Just as long as there's two of the same. That's all, cos it's got to be hung up. Everything that I buy generally has a kaupapa or, I like to put a whakapapa to why and the meaning of it. In this instance, because they are going to be hanging upwards towards the heavens, it made sense that we have something that represents three ` a Matua, Tama, me te Wairua Tapu. And so those roots are significant to us in our hahi. This one's got three. - Yes. - And this could possibly be lifted a bit higher. - Yes. - Mm. - So you could do it like that. - Oh my goodness, yeah. The other option is quite nice. It's quite modern. It doesn't feel very heavenly, but it's gotta have to do. And the main thing is there are three rings there, which is meaningful to us. And so it doesn't look the part, but it feels the part. - For that model, we do have two available. - Do you? Uh, Ways, do you think we'll take that one? Lync, do we like that three? Yeah. Everyone loves it. Straight away, when we come in, it was our second choice. And we were about to check out, and I get an overwhelming sense of need to have to order the crystal ones to really complete the whakaaro that we want to put on the ceiling, so we ask` Well, I asked the shop assistant how long before the shiny, sparkly ones arrive. Soon as they arrive, you ring me, eh. I'll pay now, eh? - OK. - Just to make sure. It's just because I don't want you to sell them. So, everything was on special at the Eden Lighting with half price on everything, 50% off, so I thought, 'Why buy two for one when you can buy four for two?' (WHIMSICAL MUSIC) (GENTLE MUSIC) - Myself and Kaiora have now arrived to bring Mr Tofa home. Yep. - Hey, Dad. You're home. - This is the first time the grandchildren are actually gonna see their grandfather, and there is a lot of family there to support as well. The typical traditional way for Samoans is for us to decorate the floors with a Fala, which is a fine mat, and we've got the normal tapa cloth which is a significant part of our culture. (EMOTIONAL MUSIC) And music is playing in the background. It's one of Lapi's numbers, and it's quite beautiful and meaningful. - (SNIFFLING, SOBBING) - (BLUBBERS) - There are family members over in Utah and Samoa and around the world who couldn't attend the service, so it was so nice that they were able to tune in through the live broadcast. (SOMBRE MUSIC) - (SPEAKS IN SAMOAN) - The greetings have been addressed by one of the chiefs of the family and it is to welcome Mr Tofa's body home. - (SPEAKS IN SAMOAN) - At this time, I'm taking my guidance from Nona,... - (SPEAKS IN SAMOAN) - ...because there is a bit of language happening with their whanau, and I just want to ensure that I'm assisting her appropriately. (MELANCHOLIC MUSIC) - We are now leaving Mr Tofa in the family's care for the weekend, and we will be back on Monday to take him to his final resting place. (WHIMSICAL MUSIC) (CURIOUS MUSIC) - It's time to reveal the lights to my wife now, that we've purchased, and um... you know, I'm excited. I'm hoping she likes it and it feels like a heavenly space ` like a real nice, calming space. And I hope that she's like, 'Wow', you know? 'Hon. Beautiful.' (WHIMSICAL MUSIC) - Oh wow. A little purchase (?) - Yeah. Yeah, they were on special. (WHIMSICAL MUSIC) - No, I did not know that my husband was going to buy some lights. Well, I don't know. He` (SIGHS) Are they lights or are they chandeliers? Is it supposed to be 'wow'? - Yes... It is 'wow'. - I don't think I got the 'wow'. I don't` I... I saw` I feel like I've just seen lights. - Look at this. Off. See ` look what we were living in. We were living in te po. Now we're living in te ao marama. Po. Ao marama. - (LAUGHS) I am` He's so good at putting a case together when he buys things. He's very good at it. (WHIMSICAL MUSIC) - It's so important to have enough light to be able to see each other when we're talking with one another. Yeah. What do you think? You love it, eh? - Yeah. - You know, you didn't even have to say anything. I know you love it. It's all good. So beautiful. - (SIGHS) WHISPERS: Oh my gosh. I` I` Are you happy? Because I thought you were` You know, the front... lights. It's all glittery. I thought it'd be like that. - No, you're right. It'll serve its purpose for the moment, but we do have more coming. This is not the end of the surprise for you. It's just the beginning. - Oh. That's trick, eh, that husband? He's so tricky. He has a way of telling me. He doesn't` That wasn't actually telling me though. He thought he could just slip it in there. SIGHS: Oh, right. - When the new crystal chandeliers come in, I'm not quite sure where the old ones will go. It's all about the timing, the moment, eh? What the wairua says, cos right now the wairua's, like, nowhere. But then ka haere mai nga new ones, and we put them in. You've got them dangling in front of you. You go, 'Where am I gonna put it?' So, um... maybe the toilets. * (SOMBRE MUSIC) - We are now here to take Mr Tofa to his final funeral service. - Hey, brother. - (SOBBING) - Yep, no worries. Before we close Mr Tofa's casket today, Mum has requested to put on his favourite beanie, so Mum is placing that on him for his last journey, and they are going to close the casket knowing that he has gone in comfort. Where Mum was OK when we arrived, and now that we are finally closing his casket, it is really hard emotionally because, physically, Dad will no longer be around. - (WOMAN SOBS) - It's all right, Francis. Go. Yep. It's all right. Lapi comforts Mum and tells her that we must let Dad go, and we need to go through to his service. She finds strength, and she finally lets go of his casket. (SOMBRE MUSIC) In our Samoan custom, when we farewell our loved ones, given if it's a husband or wife, sometimes the reasoning of being silent is because we don't want to show that we don't have faith. But in general, when we do pause, it is to know that we entrust him in our Lord's hands. - As we ride together in the car, I feel like this time I need to let Mrs Tofa just gather her thoughts and recollect herself before she arrives to the church with her beloved husband. - We have arrived to the Pacific Islanders Presbyterian Church in Ranui, where he is one of the founders of the church. Given that Mr Tofa had seven daughters, the girls who are carrying are all representatives of his daughters' children, so they are all granddaughters who are carrying him in. (CHORAL MUSIC) - (SPEAKS IN SAMOAN) In this place, your house of prayer, to say our final goodbyes. - The final funeral service for Mr Tofa was fit for a king. The way in which Mr Tofa was placed into that church was... like God planned it that way. It was so beautiful. He was placed in the centre of the whare karakia, in front of the altar, in the middle of the Bible. And his flowers and casket was just the perfect` It was the pinnacle of tangihanga, in my view. - At the final resting place, Mr Tofa's daughters take him up to a certain angle. - Grass, ladies. Watch your feet. - And he will be handed over to his sons and son-in-laws to put their final gesture down into the grave. - You stop here. We'll let the gentlemen in. I've got the` Yep. - (ALL SINGING IN SAMOAN) - Mr Tofa, ia manuia lau malaga. - (SINGING CONTINUES) (WHIMSICAL MUSIC) - Every now and again we get requests to mix loved ones' ashes together so that maybe a husband and wife, or family members can be together ` like, their ashes are compiled into one ash urn. But in this instance, we have a gentleman who loved his dogs. So, he's got two kuri, and we're going to unite them so that they're going to be in one urn together. (LAIDBACK MUSIC) - Mixing ashes of human remains with our pets is becoming common. You get people asking, 'Is it possible that when my time comes 'that my dog is able to be put down so that we can be cremated together?' The pet might be sick as well and is able to be put down. Of course, we have to go back to the guidelines. We have to go back to certain laws to guide us in answering those questions What you get through all of this is that your pets become whanau, and you, as the master, don't want to leave your pet behind. It's almost like their child, and they don't want to feel that they're leaving their child behind. - So, together in life and together in death, which goes with the saying, 'A dog is a man's best friend.' SPEAKS MAORI: (WHIMSICAL MUSIC) (LAIDBACK MUSIC) (MACHINERY GRINDS WEAKLY) - When Francis left, no one could start the leaf blower. - (GROANS) That was so close! - And that happened on the very first day of his holiday. I had to run, also, a funeral, and the girls still couldn't manage to get it running. (LAUGHS) - (REVS) - (LAUGHS) - Yeah, that's the trigger. - OK, well, turn it off so I can do it. OK? - The girls have got no power to, you know, pull the cord. But, of course, Logan will come along ` and brrm, brrm. - Hold the trigger. - Hold` Yep. So, hold that down. - Yeah. - (MECHANISM GRINDS WEAKLY) - Hang on. - What? Is there like` (LAUGHS) - Choke there. Do your choke there. - (CHORTLES) - Choke it? That goes up? - Up. Up. - Ahh. - (SPUTTERS WEAKLY) - I think Logan tends to give wrong instructions, but then he'll come along and just say, 'Oh no, I said this,' and then he'll just start something up. And you were like... standing there confused. You're like, 'We could've done that. You confused us.' Then he'll just laugh and then walk away. - So, it needs to be down? - Yep. - Not halfway? - When it's warm enough, it goes fine when you flick it up. OK? Got it? - I'm gonna try. - (REVS) - (ALL CHEER, LAUGH) - The blower's probably why Francis was convinced to leave him in charge ` because they both can start up a blower. Mm. Yeah. Well, yeah. Of course ` if you can start up a blower, of course you can look after a company (!) Yeah, of course. Yes (!)