We were fortunate to be selected as a speaker for TEDxWellington in March of 2016.
A Natural Undertaking | Fiona King | TEDxWellington
The overall theme was ‘trust’ and our idea ‘worth spreading’ was to encourage families to take ownership of their funerals and not underestimate their ability to be hands-on.
“We find once a family is empowered with informed options they gain confidence and begin to ask ‘Can we?’ – Can we build our own coffin? Can we use flowers from our own garden? Can we use our own vehicle? – Yes, you can.”
We offered our insights and ‘top tips’ for arranging a funeral – reminding families to; slow down, involve children and that there is no normal.
We polled the audience and asked who had made their funeral directive clear – few people raised their hands. We encouraged you to think about your final wishes and have that conversation with family or friends.
TEDTalk attendees completed comment cards – here are some of the responses:
‘Thank you for a thought provoking presentation that has challenged me to think about my own funeral and to think outside the norm.’
‘Really loved your talk and your connection with the audience – there was a lot of agreement among the delegates about the importance of planning your own service’
‘Thank you for your talk. It was refreshing and moving and made me think about death and funerals in a way I never had before. You have heaps of ideas worth spreading’
‘So interesting! I’ll admit I’d never thought about end-of-life planning, or options. Lots of thinking to do. Thank you.’
‘I loved what you had to say. I’ll definitely put some thought into what I’d like for my own funeral – you’ve opened my eyes to so many possibilities.’
‘I have always wanted to be buried in a place my family could visit that was calm, relaxing and natural and have a kauri tree planted over me. Today I learned that this is possible in my home town. Thank you.’
My funeral plan
Broaching the funeral subject
Planning your funeral
