Coffin Club looking for new members
David McKibbin with an undecorated casket.
“In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”
As true in Benjamin Franklin’s day as today, but you may be able save a bit by preparing for the former through joining a coffin club.
The concept is not new, with the original coffin club founded in Rotorua in 2010 by former palliative care nurse Katie Williams, and since then the model has spread around the country, with clubs today operating in both the North and South Island.
Now Catherine McKibbin and husband David, a semi-retired cabinetmaker, want to gauge the level of interest for starting one in Taupō.
The clubs give members the opportunity to have some control in preparing and personalising a coffin just how they or their family/whanau want them finished.
The club would require a one-off membership fee of perhaps $10 or $20, said Catherine, and then provide a low-cost plywood coffin for around $400.
Membership of the club provided a guarantee to a funeral home that the casket had been assembled correctly and met the required standard, she said. The coffins were stamped and came with certification.
“There have been two instances where someone made their own and the bottoms fell out, so they need to be made to specifications… Not a pretty sight and very distressing.”
In the McKibbins’ previous experience making coffins in the Bay of Plenty, the chance to personalise the appearance of a coffin was a big part of why people wanted to purchase a casket for themselves.
For a lot of people it wasn’t about the cost, Catherine said, but having a chance to display some part of the person’s life by adding their own touches and making it more than just a brown wooden box.
Though the coffin club approach could also save money for the deceased’s surviving children.
“The family think they have to go and get a nice coffin but if mum and dad have got it ready before hand, they don’t have to do that.”
And of course there were environmental considerations.
She believed it “a bit of a crime” to be using solid rimu, mahogany or other valuable timber.
“It’s only going to get buried or burnt. It’s only going to sit around for a few hours or maybe days on display. If plywood is stained it can look like ordinary wood. Most of us wouldn’t know.”
According to one funeral planning service coffins in New Zealand generally cost between $1,000 and $4,000, though some may be more than $15,000.
The McKibbins are seeking suitable premises for the proposed club to decorate coffins and are currently considering a couple of places which may be available.
They will be running a coffin club stall at the Seniors’ Expo at Taupō’s Great Lake Centre on March 19, taking registrations of interest and then plan to run an information evening in a few weeks’ time.