Death Matters Alliance

31/08/2026

Meet Frances from DIY FUNERALS - she will be at the Dying Matters Expo in UH - details below👏👏

DEATH MATTERS ALLIANCE — presents a free community event - Dying Matters Expo

📅 **Saturday, 12 September**
⏰ **10am–3pm**
📍 **Upper Hutt Library**

Dying Matters Expo provides a safe and welcoming space to have difficult and sensitive conversations about aging, death, dying, and end of life planning.

Drop in anytime between 10am and 3pm.
We will have tables of information, displays and representatives from various organisations available for the public to talk to and gather information on End of life planning and DIY funeral options.
Have a cuppa and a conversation with the friendly team from Befriending Death.
Whether you’re planning ahead, supporting someone you love, or simply curious to learn more, come along and meet a diverse range of people who are passionate about sharing their knowledge, services, and ideas.

There will be speakers covering a range of important end-of-life topics, providing information, insights and opportunities to ask questions.

⚠️ Numbers for some speakers are limited, so registration is encouraged. Please message Death Matters Alliance or check our other posts for further information.

Please share this post with your friends, whānau and community. The more informed we are, the more prepared and empowered we can be for those tough moments in life.

**Death Matters Alliance — because these conversations matter.**

Monique, Karen & Bronwen
Death Matters Alliance (DMA)

27/08/2026

27/08/2026

DEATH MATTERS ALLIANCE — presents a free community event - Dying Matters Expo

📅 **Saturday, 12 September**
⏰ **10am–3pm**
📍 **Upper Hutt Library**

Dying Matters Expo provides a safe and welcoming space to have difficult and sensitive conversations about aging, death, dying, and end of life planning.

Drop in anytime between 10am and 3pm.
We will have tables of information, displays and representatives from various organisations available for the public to talk to and gather information on End of life planning and DIY funeral options.
Have a cuppa and a conversation with the friendly team from Befriending Death.
Whether you’re planning ahead, supporting someone you love, or simply curious to learn more, come along and meet a diverse range of people who are passionate about sharing their knowledge, services, and ideas.

There will be speakers covering a range of important end-of-life topics, providing information, insights and opportunities to ask questions.

⚠️ Numbers for some speakers are limited, so registration is encouraged. Please message Death Matters Alliance or check our other posts for further information.

Please share this post with your friends, whānau and community. The more informed we are, the more prepared and empowered we can be for those tough moments in life.

**Death Matters Alliance — because these conversations matter.**

Monique, Karen & Bronwen
Death Matters Alliance (DMA)

10/08/2026

When I am dying, I don’t want the last sounds I hear to be machines beeping and alarms going off telling me what I already know, which is that my body is shutting down and I am dying.

I don’t want machines keeping me alive.
I don’t want machines feeding me.
I don’t want to feel the suffocation of the blood pressure cuff as it squeezes my arm every hour on the hour.
I don’t want IV’s stuck in my arms, or tubes down my throat.
I don’t want other people making decisions for me.

I don’t want to be in a room that isn’t mine, with a view of medical charts and notes stating when I had my last bowel movement, when my medications are due, or how many times I have been turned and repositioned, which by the way is obnoxious when you are dying and I definitely do not want that.

I don’t want fluorescent lights on above my head, forcing me to keep my eyes closed so they don’t burn from the glare.

I don’t want people walking into my room as though it is theirs and not mine.

I don’t want strangers telling me what to do or how to feel or treating me like I don’t have feelings.

I don't want people to talk over or about me as if I can't hear. I can hear and I will hear you!

I don’t want my family to wait day after day in a stark hospital room knowing there is nothing else anyone can do but wait.
This is not how I want to die.
This is not how I want the people who love me to see me die.

I have written down everything that is important to me so that none of the above ever occurs.
I have listed where I want to be, who I want there, what music I want to hear, how I want to be cared for, what I want to wear, how I want my symptoms managed, and to what extent I want people to go to keep me alive.

When I am dying, I want my wishes honored, my voice heard, and my death peaceful.
I want this for you too!

Please write down your wishes and share them with the people you love.
Have the conversation.
Talk to your family and friends.
I promise you… it won’t happen sooner because you talked about it.

03/08/2026

Who are we….

Bronwen is passionate about preventing funeral debt. She gives TED-style talks about death, dying, and DIY funerals helping groups and families to kickstart the conversation around end-of-life planning and everything it involves.

Monique is an end-of-life doula, funeral celebrant, and legacy creator passionate about helping people navigate end-of-life with compassion, education, and thoughtful planning. She supports individuals and families to honour life, create meaningful farewells, and preserve lasting legacies.

Karen is passionate about building stronger relationships within communities. She believes that nurturing meaningful connections between people helps create communities that are better equipped to support one another through ageing, illness, dying, and grief.

Contact details
Bronwen 0276333221
Monique 0274040856
Email : [email protected]
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/deathmattersalliance

12/12/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1Be11ky3L3/

01/08/2025

https://www.befriendingdeathnz.com
Please take a look at this wonderful resource.

Unearthing what we know and need in our last few years of life How can we understand more about what we need in our last few years of life? And how we can create more of this together?Many of us are interested in these sorts of questions but aren’t sure where to start. We hope that what you find h...