One of the displays at next week’s Seniors’ Expo at the Great Lake Centre will feature the interesting concept of a coffin club.
Catherine McKibbin and her husband David, a semi-retired cabinetmaker, are looking to take registrations of interest for establishing a club which aims to provide a low-cost option for coffins or caskets.
The club would require a one-off membership fee of perhaps $10 or $20, says Catherine, and then provide a low-cost or plywood coffin for around $400.
Membership of the club guarantees a funeral home that the casket has been assembled correctly and meets standard specifications, she says. The coffins are stamped and come with certification.
In the McKibbins’ previous coffin-making experience 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 themselves.
For a lot of people it wasn’t about the cost, Catherine says, 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,” she says.
One funeral planning service website notes that coffins in New Zealand will generally cost between $1,000 and $4,000, though some may be more than $15,000.
At the coffin club stall at the March 19 Seniors’ Expo at Taupō’s Great Lake Centre those interested will be able to register their interest to attend an information evening planned in a few weeks’ time at which more details will be available.
The McKibbins are also seeking suitable premises for the proposed club to decorate coffins and are looking at a couple of places which may be available.
