About Us 

Our family has been sharing and researching dying, death and after death for over 20 years.  In Aotearoa, New Zealand Maori have  been following western traditional burials for 100 years or more.  Our family decided we should reclaim our former ancient practices.  The very essence of being Maori is knowing that birth and death are both natural and synonomous.  Kui (Elder Woman) Ngahina Okeroa, died 1988, she gave the basic knowledge of death and dying and what to do with the dead.

In 2003 my sister Miiria passed away, she agreed that we manage her death and burial and during that process we learned so much.  After communicating with a Registered Undertaker we learned that embalming was not necessary. We went on to investigate legal and cultural requirements and found we only needed to inform the Births Deaths and Marriages of her death.  From there we have continued to take dying, death and after death into a tikanga Maori realm without feeling that we ever have to meet the needs of another culture. We feel empowered by our tupuna and those who have surrounded us with their support and generosity.

Further to our learning a well respected esteemed kuia (eler woman)  Rose Pere came to Parihaka and said to me to "heal Papatuanuku". At the time it meant absolutely nothing.  I had just dumped a lot of rubbish into Papatuanuku.  My question to myself was "did she see (in the spirit world) me dump this rubbish?"  Who knows. So, in my days and years to follow I understood what she meant about healing Papatuanuku.  So much rubbish is pushed into her belly every year and this has to stop.  KWT is the perfect process to heal Papatuanuku.

In 2007 my husband Te Ru died and we were once again elevated to a new level of understanding, practice and knowledge.  We were able to process his tangi (funeral) into a place where we as Maori feared to take it for fear of tapu (sacredness) or for fear of breaking the whitemans culture.  This brought a new look into how we as Maori managed death and after death. The "new" look impressed so many people, that it soon became a demand by family around our sacred mountain Taranaki. From this interest and demand our practice has evolved into what it is today.

Today we are able to bring dying to a place that is very acceptable, without complications, fear of tapu, fear of the dead and healing  takes place in different ways to take people to a better place, a happier space and a genuine knowing that the process is being practiced with the greatest and utmost respect for the tupapaku.  The whanau and those who embrace the process note reduction in the grieving time for children and spouse.  "It is simple, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to see this."

After working with over 30 tupaku (dead) we are satisfied the grounding knowledge is strong and robust to guide us through into the future.  Many hours of research through hands on practice has provided the backbone to progress how we want to take this into the future regardless of the challenges that have been both great and small.  

Spiritual connections both with aatua (spiritual caretakers of environment) and tupuna (ancestors) are always the first place we go to seek guidance, strength, knowledge, enlightenment and relationships with a higher power.  Although this spiritual practice is not so common amongst Maori, more people are identifying as having an awareness, ability and understanding of Wairua. (The six sense) 

KWT look toward a natural process that involves no embalming, no leaving the home to go to a funeral parlour and remain with the family at all times.  All our practices are delivered on site where the tupapaku is, which means we are there with the dead in their own home sharing and working with thier families and friends.

Kahu Whakatere Tupapaku honour and respect the lores of Papatuanuku (Mother of Earth) and Ranginui (Father of Sky) through out its practice, it is ancient, historical, laced with clear direction, purity and gratitude.  The use of tapu (sacredness) and noa (freedom from sacredness) are the guiding principals for our practice using kawa (laws) and tikanga (lore).

Now that we have established a knowledge base we have promoted ourselves to informing whanau, hapu and iwi of KWT process and looking at taking this practice to a level of competency to where families take responsibility for the KWT process.  We have already delivered 10 education programs highlighting the process and three programs of two days practical solutions were taught.  Please contact us for this to happen for your whanau, hapu, and iwi.

How to use Kahu Whakatere Tupapaku

Step One

Prior to death, years, months, weeks - contact us by phone or email and one of our whanau will answer and organise a visit and a chat about the process.  If the person is still alive, that person will sign the form to state that all the information is correct and it will also outline needs and wants and what Kahu Whakatere Tupapaku can offer.

Stept Two

Negotiate needs and clearly state what is needed and Kahu Whakatere Tupapaku will agree to do certain things at certain times eg before death, at the time of death and after death.

Step Three

If the death is expected as in the case of cancer, renal failure etc a visit prior to near death will be made to determine the estimated length of time  to death and to check with whanau if all is well and expectations are still the same.

Step Four

Near the time of death and if requested by the whanau, a member of Kahu Whakatere Tupapaku will remain on site until the time of death and will initiate the processes at the most appropriate time or as required.  The whanau will be reminded of the state of tapu.

Step Five

The completion of the process is the tupapaku laying in state in the place that is requested by the family.  Sometimes this may not be possible when the tupapaku is being transported many miles away.  However the ideal is to satisfy the need of the family.  Rituals will accompany the final process, then whanau and KWT workers join for whakanoa (removal of sacredness) of that process and leaving the tupapaku to lie in state.

Step Six 

An invoice will be generated 28 days after the final service.  This will include travel, services, products the number of days negotiated to attend tupapaku.  Negotiated costs will be adhered.

Product and Services

Kopaki

Kahu Whakatere Tupapaku prepare one part of the process prior to death, this whariki (mat) is woven from harakeke (flax) as requested by whanau or the person dying, an arrangement is often made with someone who weaves and is a member of the family otherwise a mat is woven which will range in costs from $500 to $700 depending on the size of the person.  One person making this mat takes 4-5 days.

Other products made on the day

The other products are made on the day of death with the help of whanau and friends.  The natural resources are harvested, prepared and created on that day as well.  Part of giving and sharing is to learn to weave, to make rope, to make the waka (transporter) as well as other parts that are required to finalise the process.  

Traditional Rituals

The services that are required are built in to the process and these require a person to perform rituals over all processes from picking of the harakeke, preparing and making.  Every process is placed under tapu until the tupapaku is placed into the whariki and on the waka.  The service that is performed is done with aroha ki te tangata (respect and honour to the people).  It is indeed homegrown, it is indeed organic and embued with tikanga maori (maori traditions), encompassing karanga (female element using a resonatiing call), karakia (incantation), waiata (song), wairua (spirit), manaakitanga (integrity, compassion and love), kotahitanga (unified), maumahara (memories), laughter, joy and celebration of the life that has passed over.

Offering

What we do have to offer is an alternative process to embalming, an alternative to an undertaker, an alternative to using a coffin and a process that is tikanga maori driven.  We are home grown, organic and indeed culturally aware of needs and responsibilities, we practice with great respect to Papatuanuku and Ranginui using natural oils, plants, trees, shrubs with karakia, waiata, karanga, mihi and aroha.

Training 

Kahu Whakatere Tupapaku is progressing negotiations with an institute to deliver a training a package that will provide whanau, hapu and iwi workers who will undertake the skils required to use Kahu Whakatere Tupapaku to recieve a certificate of knowledge and understanding.  We presently do not have any certificates of achievement or awards however we are assured that we are providing a much needed tikanga maori  process that eliminates some of the fears that surround the use of coffins and embalming.

He maru ahiahi kei muri te maru awatea.  He paki arohirohi kei mua

After the shades of darkness come the dusk of dawn whilst before lies the shimmering glory of a fair day

A whakatauaki (proverb) by Te Ru Koriri Wharehoka 2005

History of Project

Kahu Whakatere Tupapaku was instigated by Te Ru Koriri Wharehoka before his death in 2007.  His desire to return to Papatuanuku without being embalmed and dressed in a whariki (harakeke(flax) mat) as well as a korowai (cloak) was paramount. This insight created discussion through out Aotearoa (New Zealand) at the same time it triggered responses and investigation into an ancient practice.  At his funeral people came from all over New Zealand to pay respect, at the same time witnessing what has now become a regular choice and practice amongst our whanau (families) in Taranaki, New Zealand.

I have kept the integrity and mana of this process alive, and by promoting its use amongst Maori whanau (family) members we have become popularised by our Maori community.  Since 2007 the family have contributed to over thirty tangi (funerals) varying the use of non embalming and embalming.  By using tikanga (cultural) Maori practices throughout the process such as karakia (incantation), karanga (calling), mihi (speech making), the mana (quality) of the process is maintained without minimizing any part of the process.  Over time the process has evolved to encompass change in approach and to minimize risk, providing a sleek organic process which has become accepted by our people.

Consideration was indeed given to cost and pricing and for a while "koha" (heartfelt contribution) was accepted as an exchange for product and service.  This has been proven less than satisfactory and has led to the team restructuring and placing value on and in the process.  This process is now a business for the whanau and the family will take the process to other iwi (larger family groups), hapu (family groups), whanau (family) in Aotearoa (New Zealand).  

Delivery of this process has been well recieved with the art of weaving being a greater componant of this process, it requires and demands a number of weavers to make the mats.  

2012 has been a very good learning with the youngest member of the family learning the process by working "hands on" leading the family through the traditions and culture of our ancestors to completing a conveyance that is fit for a king, and indeed safe for Mother of Earth. 

Te Ru Koriri Wharehoka 

Before Te Ru died in 2007, he declared he didn't want to go to the undertaker or to be tampered with.  No external intervention - which meant our immediate family and friends became his undertakers.  The attraction of having a process that was close to ancienct Maori customs was exciting and soon after his death there were requests to underatake others using Kahu Whakatere.  The excitement of his funeral being documented was overwhelming, he wanted to ensure an accurate record was kept of his tangi (funeral) mainly to advance and preserve knowledge and to make it available for future research.  Although he was against Pakeha (Whiteman's) intervention he wanted to make sure Maori were going to benefit from his beliefs and values and especially from something that was  "ancient" and of his ancestors.  He achieved this in death and continues to influence the future.