Latest news with #TipeneFunerals
Newsroom
14-05-2025
- Newsroom
Herald withdraws ‘scoop' finalist from awards after Tipene Funerals complaint
Leading news media firm NZME has withdrawn a journalist from the finalist list for Scoop of the Year at the national media awards after a legal complaint over coverage of Tipene Funerals. New Zealand Herald reporter Raphael Franks had been one of three finalists for the award to be announced at Friday night's Voyager Media Awards, but his name and entry covering the 'Tipene Funerals Scandal' is now deleted from the event's website. At the same time, 20 stories on the issue on the website have correction paragraphs added at the top, setting out changes made to the stories. The withdrawal of a journalism finalist from the media awards is rare, if unprecedented, particularly when linked to legal issues. The lateness of the withdrawal could indicate NZME recognised ongoing sensitivities if it had actually won the top prize. While Franks' personal entry has been withdrawn, his work on such a legally challenging story as the inquiry into a Tipene Funerals staff member's behaviour would have been guided, edited and vetted at higher levels of the Herald newsroom. It is likely the scoop of the year entry was submitted for judges' consideration before the belated legal complaint from the funeral home had been resolved. The Herald's corrections to the stories published between August 2024 and April this year relate to earlier wording about the actions of funeral home staffer Fiona Bakulich, convicted in April of interfering with human remains and obtaining by deception. She was sentenced to two years and seven months in jail. It's understood the legal complaint over the Herald coverage was from the firm, Tipene Funerals, rather than Bakulich. The Tipene Funerals Facebook page issued a statement to its followers after the sentencing saying, in part: 'We are grateful to our legal counsel who, after reviewing the article published by NZ Herald on 11 April 2025, formally responded to correct several serious inaccuracies. We share this clarification not to place blame, but to ensure the truth is known, especially for the grieving whānau whose stories are being spoken about.' It continues: 'The repeated use of the phrase 'wrapped in plastic instead of coffins' is completely false and deeply upsetting. It wrongly suggests that multiple tūpāpaku were not placed in coffins at all, which is simply not true. The judge has since instructed media to stop using this language, recognising the unnecessary pain it has caused. In truth, one tūpāpaku was in a body bag, which was inside in a wooden coffin, (a standard and appropriate practice in our profession), but was missing the metal liner coffin. This detail matters, especially for grieving families. 'The matter first came to light after the storm, when both Waikumete Cemetery staff and the immediate whānau of a loved one identified an issue with one interment. The concern was that a metal liner, required for mausoleum burial, was missing. Tipene Funerals responded immediately with deep regret, took full responsibility, and ensured that a metal liner was provided as soon as the issue came to our attention. 'Fiona Bakulich faced 13 charges. Of these, 12 related to financial dishonesty involving unauthorised cash payments and misleading whānau over costs. Only one charge involved the missing metal liner coffin, and another charge was withdrawn. These are important distinctions that were not clearly reflected in the NZ Herald article. 'It was Tipene Funerals who reported this matter to police. While the media may have played a role in drawing further attention. It is not accurate to suggest the offending was uncovered by NZ Herald.' Herald editor in chief Murray Kirkness said on Wednesday night: 'The Herald has made amendments to articles clarifying matters relating to Fiona Bakulich's offending and sentencing. We contacted the NPA [organisers of the awards] to remove a Voyager Media Awards entry. 'There were inaccuracies in our reporting and we have written to Tipene Funerals to apologise. Importantly, following the Herald's investigation and extensive coverage on this matter, a criminal investigation led to charges being laid.'
1News
04-05-2025
- 1News
Tipene Funerals owners break silence after ex-employee jailed
The owners of Tipene Funerals have spoken out for the first time after a former long-time employee was jailed for misconduct in relation to burials. Francis and Kaiora Tipene told TVNZ's Marae they should have noticed something sooner, but said they knew nothing of former employee Fiona Bakulich's offending. For the full story, watch Marae on TVNZ+ Fiona Bakulich, 48, a former employee, was jailed for two years and three months and ordered to pay more than $16,900 in reparations over her misconduct. She pleaded guilty to two charges of interfering with human remains and 12 charges of obtaining by deception in February. Her offending related to 11 victims in total. But the Crown dropped one charge of interfering with human remains at sentencing. Francis and Kaiora Tipene spoke to TVNZ's Marae programme in an exclusive interview. (Source: Marae) The Tipene owners spoke to Marae in their first interview since Bakulich was jailed. Francis said he was called to a meeting alongside Bakulich at Waikumete Cemetery by Auckland Council staff, where the first of her crimes was exposed. Cyclone Gabrielle had badly damaged a mausoleum housing two coffins interred by Bakulich. Repairs to the roof necessitated the disinterment of the remains, revealing she had not installed the zinc liner required and pocketed the $3000 in cash instead. "The reaction was this deep, sickening feeling," Francis said. "I just couldn't believe how someone could do that." Bakulich was stood down for six weeks and continued offending upon her return to work. The pair said they only discovered she had further defrauded families after her dismissal. "We had no idea this was going on, and I wish we did so we could have acted sooner," Francis said. "It's my fault, I should have been more onto it, overseeing it all, but I'm deeply apologetic to those whānau." Asked how the charges weren't detected in the company's accounting, Francis said the transactions were taking place off-site, in cash, and usually without an invoice or receipt. "I couldn't monitor that, regardless, so that's a hard one to swallow." The company would have to "build trust from the bottom up", the pair said of their business' relationship with the community. Marae did not receive a response when Fiona Bakulich's lawyer was approached for comment. For the full story, watch Marae on TVNZ+
