Latest news with #DyingMattersWeek
NZ Herald
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
Tangihanga: Stage show by Hastings woman who's been to more than 1000 funerals opens Dying Matters Week in Hawke's Bay
It's called Tangihanga, and opens Hawke's Bay first-ever Dying Matters Week, an international initiative encouraging open conversations about death, grief and end-of-life planning. Neho's 75-minute one-woman show, blending comedy, drama and moments of cultural connection, will be staged in the Bay on August 31 and September 1 at Taikura Rudolf Steiner school. 'I play all 30 characters, and it's basically about a girl whose father passes away, and he asked her to make a promise that she will make sure that it's a happy and joyful farewell,' she said. 'The family come all around to come back to his funeral at the marae, and you see the different way that people respond to hearing about his passing and how people deal with loss.' Kristyl Neho performing Tangihanga, a 75-minute, one-woman show exploring the "chaos, beauty and heartbreak" of one whānau saying goodbye. Photo / Sarah Marshall Neho, who wrote the show, says it's based on the 'chaos, beauty, and heartbreak of one whānau preparing for a funeral', inspired in part by her own father's farewell. As a child, Neho helped prepare bodies and assumed everyone grew up around death. 'I just was raised thinking that was what everybody experienced,' she said. That assumption ended when, at age 11, she casually told classmates she'd seen 'three or four hundred dead bodies'. 'The room went silent,' she recalls. 'I remember looking up and everybody was staring at me, and then the teacher was like, did you say 400 bodies? I was like, 'Yeah, isn't that normal?' And that's when I realised it wasn't normal.' Those formative years taught her empathy, the value of services for people saying goodbye, and a belief she carries to this day. 'Don't wait until it's too late to tell people you love them,' Neho says. While her Tangihanga performance is rooted in Māori experiences, it has resonated with audiences of all backgrounds. 'We've had about 65% non-Māori in the audience. 'Everyone recognises their own Auntie Margaret or the cousin who organises everything. Grief is universal.' The production has been staged before, with Neho winning the best overall performer at Whangārei Fringe Festival 2024. The polished version launching in Hawke's Bay will mark the start of a tour to 14 locations around New Zealand, before heading to Australia. The show in Hawke's Bay will mark the start of a tour to 14 locations around New Zealand, before heading to Australia. Photo / Sarah Marshall Hawke's Bay's Dying Matters Week runs from September 1 to 7 and is in its second year in New Zealand. The national initiative is led by Go with Grace, which invited local end-of-life doula Alysha Macaulay to prepare a team of Hawke's Bay professionals to bring the event to the region. The programme includes free counselling drop-in sessions, youth workshops, a crematorium open day and a 'cocktails and conversations about death' event at a local pub. The only ticketed events are Tangihanga and a screening of the documentary The Last Ecstatic Days. Macaulay says starting conversations before a crisis is key. 'It's about giving people the confidence to know what services exist, how to talk about it, and how to plan,' she says. 'If people write it down and have that conversation, they can ensure their loved one is honoured.' End-of-life doula Alysha Macaulay is helping bring Dying Matters Week to Hawke's Bay for the first time, aiming to open up conversations around death. Macaulay, who lost her husband to oesophageal cancer in 2022, now works with people with life-limiting diagnoses and their families to plan medical care, bucket lists, and funerals. 'It changed my perspective on life and made me determined to create better pathways for others.' More information on the event is available at
Scoop
6 days ago
- Health
- Scoop
Reclaiming Death: A Call For Conversations, Compassion, Community, And Change
Dying Matters Week Aotearoa returns from September 1–7, inviting all New Zealanders to join open conversations about death, dying, caring and grieving. Dying Matters Week is an annual, nationwide event, with activities planned across New Zealand aiming to support community conversations about death and dying, and remind us all that death is normal, natural, and inevitable. This year more than 250 events are being held in 11 regions and 26 towns and cities across the motu, supported by local practitioners, community groups, hospices and businesses. Talks will cover assisted dying, legal matters around death, caring for carers, end-of-life planning, natural burials, funeral budgeting and much more. Other events include poetry and art exhibitions, theatre and film screenings, craft workshops, Death Cafes, podcasts and online panels. In a society increasingly disconnected from the dying process, this week shines a light on the urgent need to restore dignity, agency, and community to the end-of-life experience. With New Zealand facing a Silver Tsunami —a rapidly ageing population and a projected 49.7% increase in annual deaths by 2043—there is an urgent need for individuals, whānau and communities to reclaim this last stage of life, starting with gentle conversations and planning. Our current health system is under increasing strain, and hospice services, which provide compassionate, community-based care, are at risk. With demand for hospice care projected to grow by 53%, and an annual funding shortfall expected to reach $196 million by 2043, the sustainability of free hospice care is in jeopardy. Grassroots initiatives, like the Compassionate Communities movement, are empowering individuals to reclaim the dying process, encouraging families and communities who are willing and able to care for their own. Groups around the country are helping to restore death literacy and community connection, leading to a groundswell of activities such as Death Cafes, Death Without Debt, Coffin Clubs, DIY Funerals and NODA (No One Dies Alone) as well as the rise of the End of Life Doula profession. Dying Matters Week is being led by Go With Grace, with the support of regional coordinators and sponsors and our national partners, Hospice New Zealand, The Eldernet Group, and End of Life Doula Alliance Aotearoa (ELDAA).
Western Telegraph
24-04-2025
- Health
- Western Telegraph
Paul Sartori Foundation announces Death Matters Week events
The Paul Sartori Foundation is organising these events during Dying Matters Week 2025. The week will start with a concert at St Mary's Church, Haverfordwest, on Monday, May 5, 2025, at 1pm. The event will feature performances by the Paul Sartori Community Choir and will serve as a platform to highlight the importance of end-of-life conversations. The concert aims to bring the community together through music, creating a supportive environment to discuss topics often considered taboo. Continuing the week's events, the foundation will host an information and activities day on Thursday, May 8, 2025, from 10am to 2.30pm at The Third Place in Milford Haven. The event, in conjunction with PAVS and Pembrokeshire County Council, will provide attendees with access to resources and discussions focused on end-of-life planning, bereavement support, and the services offered by the Future Care Planning department at the Paul Sartori Foundation. There is also a guided walk and a craft area for creative expression. The day is designed to educate individuals to make informed decisions about their end-of-life care. On Friday, May 9, 2025, the foundation will host "The Dead Good Quiz," a fun and competitive event in the relaxed setting of Yr Hen Ysgol, Dinas Cross. Participants can attend individually or as part of a team, enjoying a fun-filled quiz night that combines entertainment with meaningful discussion. This event exemplifies the foundation's commitment to making end-of-life conversations more accessible and less daunting for the community. These events have been instigated by the Future Care Planning department at Paul Sartori. Mandy Jones, who works on the project in the community, said: "Having a future care plan in place means that you can take charge of what happens to you should you become seriously unwell and are unable to express your wishes. "It also gives guidance to families and helps ease stress at a very difficult time. "These community events aim to inform and empower people to have autonomy over their future health and wellbeing." For more information about these events and the services provided by the Paul Sartori Foundation, visit their website.
