Herald withdraws ‘scoop' finalist from awards after Tipene Funerals complaint
New Zealand Herald reporter Raphael Franks had been one of three finalists for the award to be announced at Friday night's Voyager Media Awards, but his name and entry covering the 'Tipene Funerals Scandal' is now deleted from the event's website.
At the same time, 20 stories on the issue on the nzherald.co.nz website have correction paragraphs added at the top, setting out changes made to the stories.
The withdrawal of a journalism finalist from the media awards is rare, if unprecedented, particularly when linked to legal issues. The lateness of the withdrawal could indicate NZME recognised ongoing sensitivities if it had actually won the top prize.
While Franks' personal entry has been withdrawn, his work on such a legally challenging story as the inquiry into a Tipene Funerals staff member's behaviour would have been guided, edited and vetted at higher levels of the Herald newsroom.
It is likely the scoop of the year entry was submitted for judges' consideration before the belated legal complaint from the funeral home had been resolved.
The Herald's corrections to the stories published between August 2024 and April this year relate to earlier wording about the actions of funeral home staffer Fiona Bakulich, convicted in April of interfering with human remains and obtaining by deception.
She was sentenced to two years and seven months in jail.
It's understood the legal complaint over the Herald coverage was from the firm, Tipene Funerals, rather than Bakulich.
The Tipene Funerals Facebook page issued a statement to its followers after the sentencing saying, in part:
'We are grateful to our legal counsel who, after reviewing the article published by NZ Herald on 11 April 2025, formally responded to correct several serious inaccuracies. We share this clarification not to place blame, but to ensure the truth is known, especially for the grieving whānau whose stories are being spoken about.'
It continues: 'The repeated use of the phrase 'wrapped in plastic instead of coffins' is completely false and deeply upsetting. It wrongly suggests that multiple tūpāpaku were not placed in coffins at all, which is simply not true. The judge has since instructed media to stop using this language, recognising the unnecessary pain it has caused. In truth, one tūpāpaku was in a body bag, which was inside in a wooden coffin, (a standard and appropriate practice in our profession), but was missing the metal liner coffin. This detail matters, especially for grieving families.
'The matter first came to light after the storm, when both Waikumete Cemetery staff and the immediate whānau of a loved one identified an issue with one interment. The concern was that a metal liner, required for mausoleum burial, was missing. Tipene Funerals responded immediately with deep regret, took full responsibility, and ensured that a metal liner was provided as soon as the issue came to our attention.
'Fiona Bakulich faced 13 charges. Of these, 12 related to financial dishonesty involving unauthorised cash payments and misleading whānau over costs. Only one charge involved the missing metal liner coffin, and another charge was withdrawn. These are important distinctions that were not clearly reflected in the NZ Herald article.
'It was Tipene Funerals who reported this matter to police. While the media may have played a role in drawing further attention. It is not accurate to suggest the offending was uncovered by NZ Herald.'
Herald editor in chief Murray Kirkness said on Wednesday night: 'The Herald has made amendments to articles clarifying matters relating to Fiona Bakulich's offending and sentencing. We contacted the NPA [organisers of the awards] to remove a Voyager Media Awards entry.
'There were inaccuracies in our reporting and we have written to Tipene Funerals to apologise. Importantly, following the Herald's investigation and extensive coverage on this matter, a criminal investigation led to charges being laid.'
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