Opening up the conversation about the ‘D-word’ - death - is behind the latest collaboration between local women Liz Maluschnig and Su Hoskin.

Liz and Su have run the local Death Cafe since 2019, offering space for a conversation about death with the view to making the most of life. 

More recently, they have begun offering a service to the community called Final Acts of Kindness, which offers guidance and support to people whose loved one has died or is dying.

“The people who love you most are the people who will care for you the best,” Liz told the Wānaka App. 

“We want to make every part of the death process personal and meaningful to the loved one and their family… people don’t realise you can go from the deathbed to the grave or the crematorium without a professional involved.” 

This approach takes planning, however, she said. “There’s a lot to know about so you need to be prepared.”

She gave the example of a local man who died recently, with a “very loving” funeral where “his community of friends gathered together and everyone contributed something to help fulfill his wishes”.

It was “a Rolls Royce service” at a low cost, she said.

“That’s why we run the Death Cafe, so people can start talking about the D word without being squeamish, especially preparing for death and doing things alternatively or sustainably .”

This weekend (Sunday June 8) Liz and Su are bringing a ‘Death without Debt’ seminar to Wānaka.

The seminar will be led by Fergus Wheeler, one of the people who set up the Death Without Debt movement in New Zealand. He will talk about funeral planning, wills, powers of attorney, probate, advance care plans, and more.

Su and Liz will talk about how people can keep their loved one at home during and after death, how they can take care of their body, make their own coffin, and even make a shroud. People can also do the related paperwork themselves, and use their own car to transport their loved one.

“We’re just saying - hey, there’s a different way to do this,” Liz said. “This is not for everybody. I imagine it would only be two percent of people. Some people just like to do things differently.”

She said a DIY funeral is more sustainable, eco-friendly, and natural, as well as being lower cost. The average price of a funeral in New Zealand is over $10,000 (and higher in Wānaka) but a ‘Death Without Debt’ funeral could cost closer to $2,000. 

Death without Debt will take place at the Wānaka Community Hub on Sunday (June 8) from 11am - 3pm. The Death Cafe takes place monthly, with the next scheduled at 3.30pm at Edgewater on June 16.

PHOTO: Wānaka App