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Coming out the other side: Francis was by his wife’s side as she n. battled depression
HE TTH
ISSUE
he TV tars lift the lid on their marriage
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TREASURED MOMENTS
Above Theiir wedd Ab dding day in 2005. Right: The couple now have sons (from left) Moronai, Nikora, Mikae, Mihaka and baby Francis.
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Woman’s Day
s New Zealand’s most famous funeral d directors, Francis and Kaiora Tipene are used to d dealing with grief and d sadness each and every day. But for this couple – who shot to fame in 2018 with their hit television series The Casketeers – love, laughter and happiness are never far away. When the pair sit down to talk with Woman’s Day about their incredible journey together, it’s obvious theirs is a special relationship that has only deepened since they met in 2004 at a Maori teacher’s training college in Auckland. “When I first saw him, I was wowed,” confesses Kaiora. “I was wowed by his singing, his guitar playing – and his hair was so fine, just like now.” And the feeling was mutual, with Francis, 36, gushing, “I loved the way she did the poi
