“Everyone here has accepted the idea of ​​dying”: “coffin clubs” bury taboos linked to death in New Zealand

This club is one of four in New Zealand, the first having opened in 2010 in Rotorua, on the North Island. Some officially have up to 800 members.

At the Hastings club, Jim Thorne, a lively 75-year-old motorcycle fan, used his cabinetmaking skills to build a coffin decorated with a painted motorcycle track. It is stored in his garage, next to a collection of motorcycles.

Most of his friends "are quite stunned and ask him why he does that" when they hear about his coffin-making hobby, he agrees. "It's my contribution for my last days", he emphasizes.

"Dying for a coffin"

"There is an attitude among certain people which means that (death) is almost a taboo subject, which they find very difficult to talk about" , emphasizes Jim Thorne. But "they generally manage to overcome it. Ultimately, it's a fact of life".

With the new ones, he breaks the ice with humor by asking them: "Are you dying to have a coffin?". The atmosphere of the club is far from morbid and jokes flow during the morning tea break accompanied by scones.

"We're a little special, but we're happy. There are always a lot of jokes", explains Helen Bromley, secretary of the club which mainly attracts older people. The club provides a space to talk about death during weekly meetings.

"I think everyone here has accepted the idea of ​​dying, whether it's decorating his coffin or helping others decorate theirs", says Helen Bromley. Some members want to spare their loved ones from having to bear the increasing costs of funerals.

The club also makes and decorates coffins for grieving families. On average, a funeral costs around 5,600 euros in New Zealand, and coffins cost around 670 to 2,200 euros, according to the National Funeral Directors Association.

Color "Remember Me"

For a low membership fee, the Hastings club offers each new member a plywood coffin, ready to be decorated, which comes in four sizes. During tea, Helen Bromley reports that a member suffering from cancer is in intensive care after a fall. His brother asked the club to finish his coffin as a priority.

The club also makes funeral urns, which it sells to the local crematorium, and small coffins for babies, which it donates. "The midwives and nurses at Hastings Hospital asked us to never, ever stop making little coffins"< /em>, explains the old lady. The club also knits blankets, teddy bears, pillows and hearts for infants' coffins.