Death Without Debt Workshop Helps Whānau Navigate End-of-Life Costs

A workshop aimed at helping people understand their options around death and funerals is coming to Ōmokoroa next month. Tauranga doula Gaylene Delaney is hosting the Death Without Debt session, which she says is about giving people greater autonomy and reducing the financial burden that can follow a loved one's passing.

"An average funeral can cost $10,000 and a lot of people go into debt," Delaney said. "It's a hard enough time as it is without spending years paying off funeral debt." She noted that many people are unaware they can build their own coffin, carry out their own paperwork, and even transport the deceased themselves without using a funeral home.

The workshop covers a broad range of topics including wills, enduring power of attorney, advanced care plans, probate, coffins, cremation versus burial, and alternatives to professional funeral services. Delaney stresses the workshops are not intended as a criticism of funeral directors, who still have an important role to play. This will be her third workshop of this kind.

Delaney also runs Tauranga Death Cafe, which meets at Patio Rose Cafe on Cambridge Road every few months — the next gathering is on 22 March at 10am. Death cafes offer a relaxed space for people to talk openly about death and dying, and are not bereavement or counselling sessions. The Ōmokoroa workshop takes place on 7 March from 11am–3pm at the Ōmokoroa Pavilion. Cost is $40 or a donation; register at deathwithoutdebt@proton.me.

Originally published in Katikati News (Sun Media).