Here for you when you need us
Experienced staff
When guiding you through the funeral arrangement process, our aim is to alleviate as much of the stress as possible at a time of heightened emotion. The dedicated team at Waikanae Funeral Home have many years of experience and are well-versed in various faiths, cultures and ceremonial traditions. We are constantly reviewing what we are providing and are reinvesting in facilities, product, services and staff training. We take pride in the service we provide to the Kapiti area to honour the wishes of your loved one and attend to the spiritual needs of your family.
Personalised service
Our experienced staff will provide a personalised service. We will arrange the funeral service with you every step of the way to ensure we meet your wishes. With our own funeral chapel that seats up to 200 people, we offer customised farewells and can accommodate the traditional customs of all faiths. At Waikanae Funeral Home, we work to make difficult occasions easier for families and their loved ones.
Affordable and respectful services
At Waikanae Funeral Home, we understand the personal and financial heartache that such occasions can cause. Our fully accredited and experienced staff will work with you at this time to help you arrange services that are both meaningful, affordable and within your budget. We can also advise where financial assistance may be available in certain circumstances such as War Veteran, ACC and Winz funeral grants where applicable. Trust us to walk you through the process.
Waikanae Funeral Home and Kaitawa Crematorium is owned and operated by Propel Funeral Partners, a publically listed company.
Our staff
Sara Madders
General Manager
Sara grew up in a small town in Herefordshire, England and emigrated to New Zealand in 2011 where she spent the majority of that time living and working in Auckland.
Sara has a background in logistics and administration and has most recently worked in the agriculture sector. Sara comes from a long line of funeral directors in her family especially her Aunt who runs her own business back in the UK.
When not at work Sara loves the outdoors especially walking her little Jack Russell, Alfie, and competing in running events. She also enjoys travelling and has been lucky enough to visit many different countries.
She considers herself extremely fortunate to have been given this opportunity and feels that being able to serve the families of Waikanae and the wider Kāpiti Coast community is a huge privilege.
Lloyd Dacombe
Funeral Director & Embalmer
Lloyd was raised in Nelson with two brothers and three sisters. He moved to the Kapiti Coast during his college years and now lives here with his wife. He has a daughter and a son who have both left home.
He enjoys music and tramping in the great outdoors with his dog and has conquered several of New Zealand’s great walks. He also owns a small sound equipment hire company.
Lloyd has previously worked in several industries including footwear manufacturing, forestry, office equipment repairs and as a whiteware service manager. These have equipped Lloyd with an ability to meeting people’s needs with solutions and have prepared him for the funeral industry and the challenges that families are faced with in time of need.
Lloyd is a qualified Embalmer/Funeral Director who has worked actively in the funeral industry for the last 20+ years.
Shelley Knapp
Embalmer & Funeral Director
Shelley was born in Nelson and grew up in Upper Hutt. Shelley’s main love in life is her family. She has two adult children, and two granddaughters who she adores and loves spending time with.
Shelley enjoys landscaping, swimming, going to the gym, going to amazing cafes on a Sunday morning and has a great desire to travel, experiencing new countries and new cultures.
Following the death of a close friend, that path led her to working in the funeral industry 16 years ago. Becoming a qualified embalmer in 2013.
Helping families for Shelley is truly an honour and a privilege.
Antionette Tafeamaalii
Funeral Director
Antionette has lived in the Kapiti area most of her life, but her career has seen her spend time in both Christchurch and Auckland too.
Antionette previously worked in both the public and private sectors and most recently owned her own beauty business. These areas of work have enabled her to be equipped with the skills to start her journey as a Funeral Director.
She enjoys spending time with family and friends, singing to music, going to a good restaurant, and listening to her toddlers’ interests.
Antionette has wanted to be in the funeral industry, as she has always wanted to assist people in giving their loved ones a service they deserve, but also to give dignity to those who have passed.
Overall, she feels it is a privilege to be working alongside a team with experience and kindness.
Peter Dacombe
Funeral Directors Assistant
Peter has lived on the Kapiti Coast since he was born. He grew up in Raumati, living 5 minutes from the beach with his parents and older sister. He has always loved living in Kapiti and never wanted to leave and now lives in Waikanae with his wife and two little boys.
Peter is an absolute family man, always helping and playing with the kids. He loves learning about Space, animals, and gaming with his friends. Being around people and spending time with those closest to him is how he refuels.
After working in retail for almost 8 years, Peter wanted to go into a career where he knew he could help people. Having grown up with his father in the funeral industry, he gained an understanding of how important this line of work is and knew it was the right fit for him.
He is excited to learn from the team and follow in his father’s footsteps in helping people through this stage of life.
Kaitawa Crematorium
We have always been proud to be able to care for our client families and their loved ones with our own staff and facilities throughout the entire funeral process.
The installation of our state of the art crematorium facility in the Waikanae Cemetery, Ngarara Rd, Waikanae, surrounded by a native bush setting has allowed us to further improve this service.
Our crematorium equipment has been sourced from Matthews Cremation, Florida, USA. Matthews Cremation is a company with a passion for the environment and a global leader in emission filtration. This cremator is the most up-to date environmentally friendly cremator available that exceeds NZ environmental regulation requirements and since its inception has continually been updated with any new technology available. This was important to us, so we have incorporated an eco-friendly urn in which to return ashes to families.
A small chapel with seating for 20 people is available for funeral services.
A feature of the chapel is an ornate stain glass window picturing a Tui that appeared on the NZ threepence coinage pre-1967.
Because of the native bush surroundings, the Tui and Kereru bird’s distinctive call is often heard and regularly are seen in flight when in attendance at the crematorium.
The crematorium is available for other funeral companies to use by request.
