KEY POINTS:
It just felt right for West Auckland mothers Deb Cairns and Fran Reilly to drop everything and become funeral directors.
Neither had any experience in the field - Cairns was a sign language interpreter and Reilly an assistant in her husband's electrical business - but by acting on their feelings, their business State of Grace is taking its place in the industry.
State of Grace in New Lynn offers a more personalised approach to death care and funeral arrangements than some traditional parlours.
The company helps families look after their deceased themselves and host funerals at home, and has a focus on environmental friendliness.
Not so many decades ago, the idea of families organising rituals associated with death was considered an honour, and a natural part of the grieving process, says Cairns. "We are pushing the boundaries but essentially we are doing what our great-grandparents did."
When a close friend died, Cairns helped the family lay the body at home and says it felt right. And when Reilly's sister passed away, the family also kept the body at home. Reilly had been caring for her at home and says she couldn't imagine doing things any other way.
A new-found interest in home-based funerals and several internet searches led Cairns to Jerrigrace Lyons of United States home funeral organisation Final Passages, and she invited her to conduct a seminar and workshop in New Zealand.
The experience was enough to inspire Cairns and Reilly to set up their own business, surprising friends and family.
They live as sustainably as possible, viewing traditional funerals - with treated timber caskets, satin liners and lavish services - as an environmentally unfriendly way of thanking mother nature for time spent on earth.
Dressed as what they are - down-to-earth "regular mums" - Cairns and Reilly collect the body in their hearse, take it back to New Lynn, wash it down with natural products and dress it in cotton clothes.
"We talk to the person the whole time," Cairns says.
This process can also be done at the home, should the family prefer it.
Using icepacks and an air-conditioning unit, families are taught how to keep the body at home, though in some instances this is not possible.
Families are encouraged to choose natural pine or willow caskets and locally produced, recycled and biodegradable inners, but State of Grace also offers lower and higher-cost options.
Many people are requesting to be buried in a cardboard box these days, Cairns says. State of Grace can provide a shiny, traditional-style casket case to slip over the cardboard casket for the service.
Cairns is no stranger to making what she calls "good money". She and her husband Chris Morrison, who chairs the Sustainable Business Council, set up drinks company Phoenix Organics in 1986, and she says the latest venture has progressed in a similar way.
"We have done an audit on every step of the business. We want it to be the best we can be and are not mucking around. We want to build a business we can look back on and be proud of."
That means not compromising on the company's sustainable, locally produced focus.
"It's tempting to take a cheaper, easier option, and sometimes we have to slap ourselves," Cairns admits.
This dedication was hailed by judges at the National Sustainable Business Awards in October last year where the company won the supreme award.
"State of Grace uses New Zealand grown willow to weave caskets, biodegradable cornstarch plastic to line caskets, recycled wool batting for casket mattresses, unbleached calico lining and recycled wood for handles. They are a strong supporter of local businesses and have developed a culture of successfully involving the grieving family in the [preparation] for burial," the judges said.
Apart from talking to groups and dropping leaflets in surgeries the company's business has grown by word of mouth.
People looking for green or family-orientated funerals are flocking to State of Grace and the company is now at the stage of returning a profit, Cairns says.
Their success would not have been possible without both husbands being able to support the two families through the company's initial stages.
Cairns and Reilly made equal investments in the venture, and "didn't even think about making money in the first two years".
Reilly is the money-minder in the partnership and by not taking out huge loans, the company has been able to grow at a comfortable yet not overwhelming pace.
The funeral market in Auckland is dominated by family-owned businesses, and those who have been around for generations.
Cairns says State of Grace addressed the issue of being the new kid on the block by networking and building up contacts with everyone they would be dealing with.
"We are doing it [humbly]; we asked for help and we got it," Cairns says.
At each job, says Cairns, the pair "tick off the `I've learnt something' box".
And the business is run very much as a partnership.
A commitment was made to always collect the body together.
They work a week each on the phone, and generally will take on the families for their week but will back each other.
It's also really handy being a mum, Cairns says.
"We hug, we cry sometimes - which we call `polishing the hearse'."
Cairns is also a marriage celebrant and social worker, and Reilly has studied grief counselling, which helps with the emotionally challenging aspect of the business.
The aim, five years on, is to have a natural death centre, with space available for people whose homes are not suitable for home care to stay with their deceased loved ones.
But Cairns and Reilly say State of Grace is growing at the right pace, and they feel they are doing the right thing.
"We have maintained our integrity, our commitment, our honesty and our compassion."
