Scattering human ashes is becoming increasingly creative and personal, but it also raises cultural, legal, and ethical questions. Funeral director Andrew Malcolm shares that he’s seen everything from helicopter scatterings over forests to sea tributes between Australia and New Zealand, illustrating how families are finding meaningful ways to honour loved ones.
Gillian Boyes, CEO of the Funeral Directors Association of New Zealand, highlights the huge range of options now available, from turning ashes into jewellery to space-launched memorials, reflecting how farewell practices have evolved.
Larni Hepi, a Whakatāne-based funeral director, embalmer and Funeral Directors Association Board Cultural Advisor, reminds us of the significance of Māori perspectives, noting that placing ashes on land or water can imbue those places with spiritual meaning and should be approached with cultural understanding.
Read the full RNZ article here: 'The modurn conundrum of scattering human ashes'