Funerals deception: Second person pleads not guilty to three charges

• A second person has appeared in court charged with interfering with human remains and deception.
• The charges follow ex-Tipene Funerals undertaker Fiona Bakulich’s admission she swindled grieving clients.
• Detective Inspector Glenn Baldwin said inquiries into burials at Waikumete Cemetery are ongoing.

A second former funeral director accused in connection with ex-Tipene Funerals undertaker Fiona Bakulich’s burial deception will have his name kept secret for now.

The 53-year-old man faces a charge of interfering with human remains and two charges of obtaining by deception.

He is accused of obtaining $18,370.36, court documents reveal. He pleaded not guilty at his first court appearance before Auckland District Court Judge Belinda Pidwell and elected trial by jury.

He was granted interim name suppression, with the media also barred from publishing details of his occupation or other identifying details.

He was granted bail to his home.

Fiona Bakulich admitted scamming her grieving clients by charging them unaccounted-for costs and pocketing the money. Photo / Michael Craig

He was arrested last Friday and the policeman leading the case, Detective Inspector Glenn Baldwin, said inquiries into burials at Waikumete Cemetery in West Auckland were ongoing.

It comes less than a month after former Tipene Funerals undertaker and Casketeers star Fiona Bakulich admitted scamming her grieving clients by charging them unaccounted-for costs and pocketing the money.

She also mishandled bodies by wrapping one in black plastic instead of the coffin the family had paid for.

She will appear in the Auckland District Court for sentencing on April 11.

Her offending, which included scamming families of almost $18,000, stretched over seven years between 2017 and 2024.

She was first found out in 2023 when Cyclone Gabrielle damaged the mausoleum in which some of the bodies were interred at Waikumete Cemetery. The bodies needed to be removed for repairs.

Fiona Bakulich was first found out in 2023 when Cyclone Gabrielle damaged the mausoleum in which some of the bodies were interred at Waikumete Cemetery. The bodies needed to be removed for repairs. Photo / Michael Craig

Baldwin last week said investigators have been working through complex issues in their investigation.

”The Operation Lola team is still interested to hear from other families that may be impacted by this practice or have concerns.

Tipene Funerals distance themselves

Kaiora Tipene, who co-owns Tipene Funerals with her husband, Francis Tipene, posted a video of themselves on social media hours after the second arrest on Friday.

Francis Tipene and Kaiora Tipene, owners of Tipene Funerals in Onehunga, have distanced themselves from the new arrest and charges. Photo / File

“It’s not us, e te whānau,” she said.

“Just know, the Tipenes have only ever served in good faith,” she said.

The pair said their thoughts were with the families affected by the offending.

Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.

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