HOW WE LIVE

Kaiora Tipene greets me with outstretched arms, her smile wide. “Nice to finally meet you,” she says, kissing me on the cheek and giving me strong aunty vibes. “Have you eaten?” I tell her yes but she feeds me crackers anyway. We go upstairs, where her husband, Francis Tipene, is waiting for our interview.

There is a special wairua about Francis and Kaiora Tipene. A feeling that emanates from them and makes you feel comfortable, even when you’re sitting with them in their Onehunga funeral parlour, a place which is often overflowing with grief. Downstairs there are bodies being dressed and a whānau grieving and yet the space feels haumaru. Safe.

Perhaps this is why their television show, , has experienced such success, not just in Aotearoa but among audiences worldwide (made for TVNZ, the series was picked up by Netflix in 2018). The show deals with one of life’s most tragic and devastating events — the death of a loved one — and handles it in a beautiful and poignant way, though it also includes plenty of moments of is the best show on television. Maybe that’s because it’s the first time I’ve seen a Māori whānau on mainstream television who are successful, who are living the values of tikanga Māori and speaking te reo Māori without it feeling forced, or portrayed in a negative way.