Te Roopu Iti Rangiwhanui Moana grew up immersed in the spaces most people fear, tangihanga, hospices, funeral homes, and hospitals. From a young age, she became intimately familiar with tūpāpaku, not as taboo, but as tīpuna, as sacred. That comfort became calling. In 2021, Te Roopu entered the funeral industry professionally as a funeral director and embalmer, quickly identifying the systemic pain points buried beneath polished protocols. She saw the disempowerment of bereaved whānau, the overreliance on funeral homes, and the absence of tikanga Māori in mainstream practice.

Determined to create meaningful change, Te Roopu enrolled in a Master’s programme while still working in a funeral home, researching, refining, and reclaiming. Her breakthrough came when she realised most whānau don’t actually need a funeral home, they just don’t know what else is possible. That was the gap. She built the bridge.

In 2024, Te Roopu witnessed a moment that crystallised a truth: even in the heart of Waikato Tainui, whānau-led tangihanga services were not yet the norm. The need was national. But Te Roopu was just one person. So she asked: how do we make this accessible to every whānau ready to reclaim? 

Rangiwhanui Tangihanga Services was born. A kaupapa Māori movement designed to restore tūpāpaku sovereignty, reduce funeral poverty, and make DIY tangihanga not just possible, but powerful. Te Roopu’s work now bridges the divide between the funeral industry and whānau, offering tools, training, and support that return the mana and decision making to the people it belongs to.