The average New Zealander will spend a third of their lifetime working and up to 160 hours commuting every year. They're a business' greatest asset. To get the best out of this human resource requires a human connection. So we're about to drop a range of New Zealand bosses into an experience that will show them what life is really like for their workers. Will this experience inspire the boss to make meaningful change for their workers? And will employees see their boss through new eyes? Tonight ` Haven Falls Funerals owner and director Allen Pukepuke heads to Northland to live the life of one of his female employees. For both Ani and I, it's going to be quite an intimidating factor. But what will this Auckland-based boss learn about his busiest provincial branch, And how will he cope spending a week with office administrator Ani? My gosh, you have to do all this? Yes, yeah. (PHONE RINGS) For this company frontman, life as he knows it is about to change drastically. Just, wow. Yeah. Things like that are quite touching, you know. And it sorta got me on the hop. But can Ani inspire Allan to make changes and improve conditions for all his workers at Haven Falls? What we'd like to do for each of our staff members... (ALL CHEER) www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2020 (GENTLE MUSIC) (CELL PHONE VIBRATES) My name is Ani, and I work at Haven Falls Funerals Home here in Whangarei, and I'm the administrator. I live with my husband, Will, my daughter Marama, who is 22, and my daughter Alicia, who is 10. Will drops me off every morning, and I'm so fortunate that he does that. Yeah. Have a good day. And then my day starts at the office. I manage anything to do with the office, but also funeral directing when needed. I love that it's a varied role, so I can be supporting somebody in the chapel, singing, taking an enquiry from a family. It can be going up to the hospital. It can be going to rest homes as well, but also those little things in the background ` going to the mechanics, going down to check mail ` so I'm not just stuck in one place at one time. One of the biggest challenges facing workers in the industry is the emotional toll of the job. You know, sometimes we have to separate ourselves from what we've seen and also coming home, so... That can be difficult actually knowing when to draw the line and say, 'OK, work is work. Home is home.' You know, the two can mix to a certain degree, but some things are best left there. So, how does Ani feel about sharing her personal space with her boss? My boss is... Yeah. Yeah. Actually, I don't know what my boss is... (LAUGHS) I know my boss, you know, on a professional level, so this is like opening my doors and this is like, you know, we're in each other's face 24/7, so it's going to be a good eye-opener for me, but also a challenging one. While Ani has been working at Haven Falls for nearly three years, her boss has been in the industry for over 30. Kia ora kotou. My name is Allen Pukepuke. I am the kaiwhakahaere, the owner and managing director, of Haven Falls Poutama Tangihanga Funeral Home. Haven Falls Poutama Tangihanga Funeral Home has been developed since 2013. Morena. Currently, we consist of three funeral homes, based in Whangarei, Auckland and Wellington. When it comes to his workers, Allen likes keeping it in the family. The majority of them are whanau connected, so I have my nephews, my son, my daughter, my son-in-law. My mokos, my grandchildren even come in and sometimes help out myself and my lovely wife, Michelle. Hi, Monique. How are you? With wife Michelle anchoring the admin, frontman Allen can focus on growing the business. I've always considered myself very visionary in terms of how we move forward and where I want us to be. I believe we have, if anything, a very unique cultural, Kiwi, flavour, and for that reason, I'm ambitious to make sure that Haven is seen in all of our towns throughout Aotearoa, New Zealand. The funeral industry is very demanding on those who work in the industry and some of the things that they need to carry with them. It comes with an emotional toll, so it is my responsibility to make sure and to endeavour that all of my working family here are given as much support as they need. So what does this funeral director boss hope to learn from living with one of his administration employees? We have two main areas, and one is our funeral directors and embalming side of requirement. Now, from our funeral director embalming side, things are flexible; we need to work case by case. Whereas on the administrational side, everything's very rigid. If I really want to know how the machine on this organisation is working and what really makes it pump in terms of where I want it to be, with my ambitious plans, I really need to go to the devil in the detail on it, and I think that a journey or an exercise such as this, I may be able to pick something up. I don't know. I decided to have the boss come and live with me because I wanted him to see how my faith but also who I am really impacts my work in a really positive way. The first day of the social experiment is here, and in Coatesville, Allen Pukepuke is packing for a working week like none he's had before. I guess, right now, I'm feeling a little bit anxious. However, I've agreed in principle to let my borders down and keep open-minded. And hopefully, I'm gonna learn a lot. This boss is saying goodbye to his Auckland-based whanau to live with office administrator Ani and her family in Whangarei. Look after Mum. Look after Auntie. I know he's really nervous about what he's doing and feeling a bit vulnerable. See you. (LAUGHS) (IMITATES CRYING) And all the stuff that Ani does is the stuff that Allen runs a mile from. Right, here we go. Oh, shucks. OK. Oh, it's gonna be fun. Ka kite, whanau. ALL: Bye. Allen's taking a big step into the unknown to live with an employee, but he's aware he's not the only one feeling nervous. For both Ani and I, it's going to be quite an intimidating factor, right from the outset. She pretty much looks after an area that I really don't like going to. (CHUCKLES) Whangarei is the busiest of Haven Fall's three branches. Servicing a large area from Wellsford to Kaitaia, it has experienced rapid growth. The 24/7 job is demanding, and at the heart of it is Ani, who is still coming to terms with her boss moving in. Bringing Allen into the whare is kinda like a... Yeah... Mixed feelings because it's not something you'd normally do. Because it's like your sanctuary where you go to after work, but now your boss is here, it's like, 'Well, they're actually in my space, yeah.' But the big question is ` what will this boss discover taking time out from being the frontman of the business to experience life in the admin hot seat? As soon as I saw the car pull up, I got so nervous. It was like, 'Oh, gosh, the moment has finally arrived.' I mean, you can never fully prepare yourself for it. But once the moment's here, it's like, 'Ooh, it's here. No backing out now.' (CHUCKLES) 'Can't run away now.' Kia ora. Kia ora. Hi! Tena koe, Ani. How are you? Kei te pehea koe. How are you? Kei te pai. Good. Hello, bud. How are you? How are you doing, brother? How are you, mate? Good, good. Good to see you, brother. Oh, awesome, awesome. I guess, for me, it's... Almost feels invasive, to a point, cos I'm not used to, sort of, coming in to this part of her life and her family's life This is my bedroom` our bedroom. This is our whare paku. Thank you. Toilet through there, laundry. Although it's good to be here, it's about folding into the home and making myself part of` part of their lives, and I need to do that to be` in order for us to achieve, I guess, what we've set out to do. The first task for the new flatmates is putting together the bed that Allen will sleep in, with questions to help them connect. What did you want to be when you grew up? (CHUCKLES) I wanted to be a nurse when I grew up. Really? Yeah. First a teacher. Really? (SIGHS) And then a nurse. I felt with teaching that you could reach more people. What about you, Allen? Honestly, don't laugh. (LAUGHS) I really wanted to be a pilot. Like a commercial pilot. A pilot and a funeral director, that's quite a big... Big difference there. How did you even go into the industry? Oh, OK. When my dad passed away, each of our family was given areas of responsibility, and my task given for his tangi was following him from the hospital to the funeral home, assisting in the dressing of him, and then making sure he gets back safely back to the house. And it was that` It was during that part of... the tangihanga that... It caught my attention while I was at the funeral home. And here I am. Am I still grieving for him? I guess so. Yeah. But it's helped me to... I guess, really look after other people. Yeah. Other families. And just have that real passion because of what I went through with my dad. It wasn't until later years I actually found out that my grandfather, he was an undertaker, so my dad always used to talk about, you know, what my papa used to do. Hmm. And he actually was so passionate about ` this is my dad ` and he's telling us about, you know, the stories of when he used to go to, you know, families' houses, lay them out and, you know, just go through the processes of how it was back then. And he said to me candidly, you know, 'Should we open up a funeral home?' Wow. Who does that? Yeah. It never quite got to, you know, bringing into life, but` Into fruition, yeah, yeah. Yeah, but for some reason, here I am. Yeah. You know, I'm in the funeral industry, and my dad would be like, 'Wow, that's...' Yeah. Yeah. He'd be blown away if he was still here. Yeah. Yeah. My dad has been a main reason why I'm in the funeral industry, and, you know, just things like that are quite touching, you know. And it sorta got me on the hop. Just wow, yeah. I think it was such a... A unified moment for us to see that there was, you know, some bit of common ground there. And, you know, my dad is the reason why I've pretty much come into here and come into this industry, so, yeah, that moment was just so... was so touching. That is so cool. That is a cool story. That is a cool story. And I still haven't got a bed to sleep on. (LAUGHS) So, yeah, dry your eyes and we'll keep moving forward. Yeah. That's right. Yeah. Bed made and connections made. It's been a big day for the boss. Saying ka kite to the whanau and then coming up here and being welcomed into another family's home, so day one's been a good day. It's been a long day, but... Again, you know, it's time for bed, so... ready to hit the sack and, yeah, call it a day. Kia ora. Coming up ` Allen's in the hot seat... I've got a bit of a list. That's not little. You've got three pages. (CHUCKLES) You're Ani today. And the old dog learns a new trick. It's gonna be very funny watching him run around like a rooster. Now, pink with attitude. New SuperStay Matte Ink Pink Edition from Maybelline New York. Up to 16-hour wear. Only from: * Haven Falls Funerals owner and managing director Allen Pukepuke has swapped his role as the frontman of the business to experience what life is like for his behind-the-scenes workers. He's living and working with office administrator Ani. It's the first morning for the new flatmates, so things are understandably a little uncomfortable. Morning, Allen. Morena. Morena. Would you like a coffee? I slept well. Yeah, yeah, thank you. Thank you. Nice one. How was your bed? Did we put it together properly? Oh. Well,... (BOTH LAUGH) It stayed in one place, so... It was a bit different this morning. Yeah, it was almost like, 'Do I creep? Do I just get on with my day?' So I think just being mindful that somebody else is in your house is, yeah` And your boss is in your house, yeah, it's a little bit different. Got an action-packed day for you today, Allen. I was afraid of that. (CHUCKLES) Today I'm gonna leave myself exposed, and I'm gonna keep an open mind, and... (SIGHS) I just... Be nice to me, Ani. Yeah. I'm not the sharpest person in terms of... administrational stuff. I already know... A lot of your habits, which I was warned about. (LAUGHS) You know, like your jotter pad, your desk pad. Warned? You know, don't write on it cos I'm a doodler with a pen, and I'll just draw pictures when... I know. You know, and... And we know that you don't like that stuff. Especially your diary ` no one's allowed to write in your diary. (CHUCKLES) I haven't even finished my first cup of coffee, I'm feeling anxious already. Gosh. (CHUCKLES) Sort of feeling for Allen, but it's good because it means that, you know, I get to expose him to what it is I do during the day, so, you know, a bit of reciprocal sharing there, so I'm looking forward to that. As long as he doesn't touch my diary. (LAUGHS) An essential part of Ani's role is to ensure the smooth running of all funeral services at Haven Falls ` organising paperwork, communicating with families, and overseeing financial payments are all part of her daily to-do list. Today, she's delegating some of the easier tasks to her new office junior. What I've got here is a bit of a list that I've compiled for you. That's not little. You've got three pages. (CHUCKLES) You're Ani today. (LAUGHS) (LAUGHS) Just a little list. I call it a bit of a list. That's only the first half of the day. We still have, you know, more hours after lunch to go, so we'll see how he gets on, yeah. I'll be checking in, and, oh jeez, if he's not up to spec, I'll have him` I'll have him sorted by the end of, you know` by the end of the day, that's for sure. The first task of the day is the seventh orders ` a monthly order of office supplies. Despite 30 years in the business, this is a task that Allen has never done before, and it's not long before the boss is looking for a shortcut. Hey, Mons? Mons? Kia ora. Are you free? Yep. Hey, what is the seventh orders? So, she did tell me, but what are...? She also told me I'm not supposed to help you. Yeah, well, this isn't gonna get done if I don't know where to` You'll have to tell me where to start from, so I don't... OK. I mean... Hmm, all right. So you just look on the computer. Yep. And search 'seventh orders'. Yeah. You know, he comes up every now and then, but this is a little bit different, I think, being in Ani's shoes, cos they're pretty big shoes to fill. She's, kind of, a hub for us all, so, yeah, just a little bit, yeah... Hope he's gonna handle it, though, sort of situation. (SIGHS) OK, that's easy. Box of paper. Is that A4? Yes, that is the A4. So we need a box of paper. Is that classed as a box there? No, no, that's just one ream. So... So what's... OK. So... So we don't have any. That's not there. Oh, so that's the last of our paper, so... That's right. So we need a box of paper. We need a box of paper, right. So what do I write? What do I write? So I write it in? Our administration position is quite beneficial to us all, and it's just so he gets to see all the stuff she does behind the scenes. You don't always see it. You just see 'this is done', not how we got to that being done. Black Sharpie pens. What's a Sharpie? Right. So these are the bigger ones. Like the felt? Felt` Yeah. So that's for putting the names on the folders. Wow! (SIGHS) So, um, seventh orders. Obviously, one of many little bits and pieces that need to be done here to keep the ship floating. Never really thought much about boxes of paper. I never thought much about red pens, Sharpie pens, colour-coding the folders and how those little things can impact on the bigger picture. So you send it, email it, scan it through to your computer. (LAUGHS) (LAUGHS) Great. OK, so scan it, OK. Not too flash on the IT side of everything, but, you know, I send it to head office in Auckland, and it's got Ani's name on it in case something went wrong, and I'm pretty happy with that. (CHUCKLES) So that's one tick done. With a happy face. We'll put a happy face on it. But nothing around here is done until it's signed off by Ani. Kia ora, Allen. (CHUCKLES) Oh! Hey, kia ora. How are you going? How's that list getting along? Yeah, good, good. Nice. I got a... All right. ...big happy face. OK, then, I'm gonna come around, just have a bit of a check, eh? So, I've sent` I've sent the purchasing order off to` Oh, wow, OK. To Auckland. He's done well, but I think I will be double-checking, not to discredit him in any way, but just to make sure. Always double-checking. Anything else completed on that list, Allen? Um... No, but the seventh... (CHUCKLES) But the seventh is done, and I know how to do it now. Despite being well behind on his to-do list, Allen is still smiling. And the interruptions just keep coming. (PHONE RINGS) Oh my gosh, you have to do all this and` Yes, yep, yeah. Multitasking. Kia ora. Good afternoon. Haven Falls funeral home. You're speaking with Allen. I, sort of, was expected that I'd have a few hurdles to look at, but I didn't really appreciate how much goes into her area of responsibility and all the little things that all happening at once ` answering the phone, doing this order, you know, and that to me has been quite an eye-opener on how the little details are really important. Can I give you that? Yep. So he just rung about five minutes ago. I told him that you'll ring back. Is that all good? Awesome, yep. Kia ora! Kia ora. (LAUGHS) Do you want the phone? This is going to be very interesting. I don't know if she's going to cope, because Ani has got a big job. She does the job very well. But it's gonna be very funny watching him run around like a rooster. Gosh, I don't know where the notepad stuff is. Oh, here we go. I've also written on Ani's desk pad. She's not gonna be too happy when she comes back. I better take the phone with me in case it rings again. Allen has ticked off his first day as admin assistant. Back home in Ani's kitchen, the boss and employee are making a deeper connection over food. There we go. What do you think, Ani? It looks good, Allen. Are you happy with that? Yeah. Happy with that. Ka pai. What are we gonna do now? All yours. All right, I'm gonna put this in the oven. All right. Kai's a really important time for people to come together. It's a time where we can korero, and it loosens our hearts, it loosens our tongues, and it allows us to be more open with each other. Thank you, Ani. Thank you, family. Can you pass the salt, please, sister. I hope that I've put my borders down so that she hears more about myself and that, you know, stop trying to play up as the boss or as I know better, and we strip all that down and we just` We're just two people who are getting to learn more about each other. Coming up ` Ani opens up to her boss. I'm going to cry all over the chicken. And Allen gets a dose of reality. This sort of thing brings me back to that real ABC stuff of not to count on what you've got but what you can do. * Haven Falls Funerals owner and managing director Allen Pukepuke has headed north to explore the impact of the job on his provincial staff. With Haven Falls a family-run business, Allen has taken on the challenge to live with a non-family employee. We're gonna contact this whanau here in particular. Office administrator Ani is introducing Allen to areas of the business he usually sidesteps. Kia ora. Good morning. Haven Falls Funeral Home. You're speaking with Allen. How can I help? Today, the new admin assistant is about to experience an aspect of the business he's much more comfortable with ` community outreach. Allen's joining Ani on a visit to a local rest home to promote the business and provide some light entertainment. Kia ora, everybody! ALL: Kia ora! Wow, kia ora, everyone! Kia ora! ALL: Kia ora! My name is Ani, and I'm from Haven Falls Funeral Home. And I'm Allen. And I'm... Ani's assistant today and her guitar player. (LAUGHS) So I've brought a guitar with six strings on it today to help us through that. Lovely to be here. Lovely to meet you all. Kia ora. ALL: Kia ora. Beautiful. We're gonna sing Tutira Mai Nga Iwi first. Feel free to clap, to join in. Today is actually going to be one of them eye-openers for Allen. Community is such an important aspect of who we are. So to be able to actually go in and greet people and just, you know, spread who we are, but also spread a bit of aroha. So today we're gonna sing a few songs and meet some of the residents here, and, you know, just really create that atmosphere. ALL: # Tutira mai nga iwi. Aue! # Tatou tatou e. # Tutira mai nga iwi Aue! # Tatou tatou e. # Whai-a te marama-tanga... To see that Ani's, sort of, stepped out of her initial role in terms of administrational responsibility and just doing this. # Tatou tatou # e! Toru, wha. # Hi aue hei! # Give yourselves a clap. (CHEERS AND APPLAUSE) She knows a lot of our people in the community, especially in the hospice and palliative care side by just being there and just talking with them and not just saying, 'Hi. Here's some brochures about us,' and walking off. It needs to be more than just that. (ALL SING IN MAORI) She's a great asset to the industry. She's a great asset to the community. And for me, it's like winning a bit of a lotto, having, you know, people like Ani to be part of this organisation. And Allen's about to find out that Ani's involvement in the community goes far beyond work. Today they're making sandwiches for a neighbourhood pataka, an open pantry with free food available to everyone. Going to do... the chicken... (CHUCKLES) or the egg? (GROANS) (BOTH LAUGH) We might wanna take the shells off, though? So you want me to shell the eggs? Yes, please. All right. OK, I can do that. (CHUCKLES) So, this is to feed someone tonight or maybe for lunch tomorrow, is that right? Yeah, that's right. Yeah. Wow. Emotionally, charity for me means aroha. I just love that it's able to actually empower somebody. You know, that kind of empowerment to be able to help somebody else in some way that we otherwise wouldn't think of. I mean, kai, you know, it's such a loving and giving way to somebody else, so to express that. The lunch packs started when Alicia came home and said her friend wasn't at school because she didn't have school lunch, and I thought, 'Hey, am I missing something here?' So, you know, it opened my eyes for` How old was she then? 7. For a 7-year-old to be telling her mum about, you know, somebody not being at school without lunch is... TEARFULLY: Yeah. (SNIFFLES) I mean, kids shouldn't go hungry. And for my daughter to notice that, what's wrong with the world, you know? (SNIFFLES) I'm going to cry all over the chicken. At least it's gonna be salted. (CHUCKLES) You all good? I'm all good. Yeah. Good on you. I don't want people just to know Haven Falls as just a funeral home but as part of the community. We're all about whanau, and family's just ain't about dying. It's about an involvement with family, you know, and our vision is families come first, so we've got to walk to the talk, and she's already walking it. And, you know, I can say that for most of our team, but Ani, you know,... And this community here, I think it's wonderful. With the average income in Whangarei close to $3000 less than the rest of the country, parts of the community struggle to make ends meet. Kia ora, Rachel. (LAUGHS) With Ani a regular contributor to Rachel's pataka... We've got some things to bring in for you to... Awesome. Thanks, guys. To put into your pataka there. This community initiative is piquing Allen's interest. Is this reaching the right people? I believe it is. I believe the words say it itself. You know, it's like respect the kaupapa, everyone. Yeah, yeah. It's to show help and support to those in need within the Raumanga community. I'm absolutely blown away by this. Aw, thanks. You know, I'm really humbled, eh? You know, I mean, you're doing it. I go home to a house with air con and a fireplace and all the rest of that stuff, and we just open the freezer, and we take a choice of what we want, and it's always full. You know, and this is the arse kick, you know. That reality hits that there are people that will go and open the fridge door and, you know, and they have to really work out what they're gonna eat today. Just amazing how people will come together to support one another, you know? And that's really what it's about. We need that in our lives. We need people to just support, with no judgement. Hmm. Again, you know, I've just got a funny feeling this is not the last time we're gonna meet. Good. (LAUGHS) Good. And I say that in a real supportive way. Yeah. This sort of thing brings me back to that real ABC stuff of what it means to really... not to count on what you've got, but what you can do for other whanau and other families, you know. It doesn't have to be this big political binge on it. It just starts with that. Coming up ` Allen gets the hard word from Whangarei staff. I can say that she's not replaceable. And later ` the big announcement. What we'd like to do for each of our staff members... (ALL CHEER) Endless nights? Jet lag? Oily skin? Get a Garnier #MaskMoment. Garnier Tissue Mask, the first hydrating mask infused with one full bottle of serum in just one mask. Replump your skin and glow. Garnier Tissue Mask. * Haven Falls Funerals managing director Allen Pukepuke has spent a working week with administrator Ani and her family. Focusing on admin, rather than fronting the business, Allen's learning just how much is involved to keep the wheels of his business turning smoothly. And with the experience nearing its end, he's checking in with his wife and business partner, Michelle. So, how's your week going, hon? What's happening? All going good? Yeah, I'm... You know, I've had to, sort of,... just... trust in what we're doing at the moment and why we're doing it, and I'll tell you what, there's been some stuff, you know. There's been some stuff that I've seen, and... just watching Ani and just getting around` Getting around the people in the community that she's introduced me to and just some of the stuff that she does after hours. I mean, yeah, it's made me think of a few things that I really want to come back and properly talk to you about. So, are you an admin convert yet? (LAUGHS) Oh my gosh. Fake it till you make it, honey. Yeah. (CHUCKLES) Yeah. All right, darling, you have a good morning. I'll talk to you soon. OK. All right, love you. You too, love. Love you. OK, love you too. Bye-bye. It's Allen's last day as Ani's admin assistant. And a staff meeting provides the perfect opportunity for him to show off some of his newly acquired office skills. Morena, everyone. Just a bit of a team brief, just to see what's happening throughout the day. But my precious diary is gonna be passed left. Oh no. (LAUGHS) (LAUGHS) Come on, come on, give us a clap. So, first up this morning, we have our service, our whanau service this morning. You're playing, yeah. Sorry, do I write all this? Yes, just pretend you're, you know, writing a little bit in there. I do. Neil Service. I write it down. Yeah, Neil Service. Just put something over there. OK, got it. N-E... Hey, hey, don't. I'm good. I'm good. We'll just all wait and sit here. No, it's all good. All right. Everything is ka pai to go ahead? Yeah, everything's ka pai to go ahead. 10.30 at the crem'. OK. What's on the agenda for you today, Jerram? Just gotta finalise the orders we've got to make for Lucent's. Oh, slow down. I'm not writing that fast. (ALL LAUGH) Slow it down, bro. Just make sure` I've just got to Jerram. Orders? Orders? Orders. Finalise orders. We'll have Allen looking after our phones as well today. Yep. Yeah, at the front reception, beautiful. Got your phone voice ready? (CLEARS THROAT) And your freedom` Kia ora. Your hands ready to type the notes in? Fingers? My two fingers, you mean? Cool. Beautiful. Thank you, team. With a whanau due in and a coffin ordered, Ani's asked Allen to assist funeral director Harley with the preparations. It's a rare chance for Harley to open up to his boss on the toll the job can take. Um, it's difficult sometimes, especially when you just, you know, waking up at 2 o'clock in the morning or who knows what hour at night. But the thing... The thing that gets us through is... No, there's no better` Honestly, there is no better... reward than having your whanau look at you and say thank you so much. How do you find Ani, and how have you found, you know, with what Ani does ` obviously, she does the administrational, but she also gets pretty involved, eh? She does. Pretty involved with this side of the mahi and that. And how have you found that with Ani in terms of how she is as a team player or a leader or...? I can say that she's... not replaceable. She's` In what way? In every way. You know, you can't replace Ani. Even if you're here, you can't replace Ani. (CHUCKLES) But she's` No, she's great. Ani's` Yeah, she's like our whaea. I regard her as a whaea. OK. Here for us, yeah. OK. And if there is any problems, she'll be the first one to pull everyone together. The place is so busy. I mean, this is` Yeah, we are busy. The busiest, you know. Hmm. I don't want your head to swell, but, yeah, youse are the busiest branch at the moment currently. Youse have been. But it comes at a price, doesn't it? It does. It does. You're rushing and wear and tear and a lot of, you know, traffic coming through and whanau... Hours, hmm. ...and family and hours and... You know, just all those sorts of things, and I know that Ani's tried to slip in as well to help all those gaps in. Yeah, she slips in. You know, just what youse do, you know, I'm... You know, we just can't... Get that dedication from anyone better than the people we have, you know, so,... Hmm. It looks beautiful. It's a boss pink. Looks beautiful, mate. So well done. I wouldn't have it myself. Yeah, no, it looks good. I love the fact that I've taught you well. Yeah. (BOTH CHUCKLE) When you going back to Henderson? (LAUGHS) Love you too, mate. Hey, thanks, Harley. Appreciate the korero. With the workday done, Allen has discovered a whole new side to Ani, who offers so much to the whole Whangarei team. As evening descends on the final night, Allen settles in with his new Whangarei whanau. Easy stuff, mate. Can't you do that? No on the first round. No! In Auckland you can do that. Oh! Oh, Auckland, eh. (ALL LAUGH) Golly! I knew Ani. I knew of her. I knew of this and that, but now this` Pardon. Now I understand. I understand why she operates how she does. She can growl you with love. Her way to talking to you is very supportive, but you can see behind those eyes, she's slapping you around, you know. And... That's a` That in itself is an honour to Ani. Because... we don't get better by being patted on the back whenever we do something wrong. You know, we've got to be told. But also we've got to be loved as we're told. And, you know, Ani's just one of those people who knows how to pull you up and be constructive but also do it in a warm way. What?! Hey! (LAUGHS) Thank you, Ani! What?! Thank you, Ani! (LAUGHS) I think that this has been a worthwhile exercise and a worthwhile journey. And have I learned something from it? Absolutely. And I'm gonna take a lot of things with me. I could possibly see some changes for the better. Oh, and that's me. I'm out. Oh! A nine of diamonds as well. Nines! And I'm grateful. Coming up ` emotions run high at the big announcement. We get so good at empowering others, that when you're actually acknowledged, it's a whole different ball game. Want a hand with healthy? Open up some Sealord tuna. Ready to eat, our delicious tuna is perfect for busy lives, packed with protein and full of flavour. * It's the final day of the social experiment, and it's time for Allen Pukepuke to say goodbye to his new Whangarei whanau and return to his role as managing director of Haven Falls Funeral Homes. It's been a week that I was... unsure about, sort of, participating in. It's been an emotional ride, I know, for her and both myself. Everything she does in her private life, I've seen, is just connected to what she brings to our business and contribute to our business positively. So for me, this week, it's been one big box ticked and another smashing happy face. (CHUCKLES) Do I need to check your bags to make sure you haven't... (LAUGHS) No. No, you don't need to check. (LAUGHS) Ani. Aw. Thank you, Allen. Thank you, Ani. Thank you so much. You and your beautiful family. Thank you for the experience, eh? Hmm. Yeah. Wow, what an experience, eh? (EXHALES) Yeah, yeah. It's a bit of mixed feelings. I mean, as much as, you know, we wanna get our household back to normal, it's actually been awesome having Allen here at our whare, and he's, pretty much, become part of the family, so we'll miss him. But what will Allen take away from the experience? And will changes be made to benefit the whole workforce as a result of the week spent with Ani? I was probably arrogant enough to probably say, 'Why would I do this, you know? What can I learn from it?' Well, I've got a lot to think about and take back to Michelle, and no doubt, we've got a lot of things to discuss. What we can take from this experience, really,... and use it to... move forward. (UPBEAT MUSIC) Back in Auckland, it's announcement time, and the troops have gathered to hear what changes Allen has in store. The first thing I noticed was literally sitting in Ani's seat, it wasn't a swivel seat. In fact, I was a little bit blown away to see that our office chairs were from the kitchen. It is important for our Whangarei team to feel good about their working environment, and so what that means is, Ani, you and the office team in the office and the funeral directors are gonna get the new office chairs. I promise you that. (LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE) That's the first thing. There's gonna be a full makeover there, and what we need to do is align our branding with our other two branches. OK, it all started with an office chair, eh? Yes. So that's cool. (LAUGHTER) I think it's important to have a... a nice environment where you walk in to work, especially when we spend a lot more time at our workplace than at home. Through following Ani, it gave me a greater understanding of the organisation, and so in discussion with Michelle, what we'd like to do is for each of our staff members, we wanna give you all over a 12-month period a... an added $1000 well-being budget for yourselves. Wow. (APPLAUSE) Cool. Goodness. Wow. Also to do with our well-being, what Michelle and I would like to do is we'd like to also give an extra two annual days to each of our staff members on top of your already annual leave that's already there. And use it wisely. (CHEERS AND APPLAUSE) As a funeral director, with all that we give to our whanau, we're always giving a part of ourselves to all of the people that we serve, so it's amazing that we're able to take time and have the resources to be able to care for ourselves with the manaaki budget. So, the next thing I really wanna talk about is there's a saying that goes something like, 'Are leaders born naturally or do they learn naturally to become a leader?' What I found is that, Ani, you possess natural leadership. And I'm grateful... Oh, jeez, waterworks. (CHUCKLES) TEARFULLY: Just to see that leadership, you know. I know you've got leadership cos you scared me. (LAUGHTER) It was like, 'I'm ready to report.' (LAUGHTER) What we wanna do is we wanna grow on what you already naturally have. You are the eyes and the ears of what's going on in Whangarei. And that's really important to us, so we'd like to offer the formal qualification pathway for you in a management type of programme. That's something that we feel is a pathway forward for you and for us as a great investment. (APPLAUSE) Beautiful. Thank you. I think... (EXHALES) we get so good at empowering others, that when you're actually acknowledged, it's a whole different ball game. And it` Sometimes you just go about your day. You think that, 'OK, this is what I do every day,' but to see your boss actually look at it from an outsider's point of view and to acknowledge that, that was really something special for me. Yeah. I always sorta thought that I was part of the community, and then I made an egg sandwich in Whangarei. And that, sorta, made me feel like I needed a learner sticker on the back of my suit. I was absolutely humbled by what I saw. Humbled to the point where, actually, we can be doing something like that for our community. So we wanna set up a pataka and each of our funeral homes for each of our communities that we serve, you know. Wow, that's huge. I just think that we need to do that, you know. Michelle and I want to acknowledge everything you've done, and we'd like to pay for an all-expenses holiday for you and your beautiful family... Awesome. ...for what you've done and just to acknowledge how valuable you are to us. I know one thing about Ani ` she doesn't take time out for herself. She's doing her mahi, and she's looking after all our families, and then she goes home and she's doing her mahi in her community, so, you know, she's always looking after everyone else, so I think it's great that she's gonna be forced an opportunity to look after herself. And so just to yourself and to your family, once again, thank you. This journey and the ambition that I have for what we do is only going in the right track by the right people. And so just to all of my family here, to you, Ani, to our working team organisation, just a big thank you, and mihi atu ki a koutou katoa, and thank you so much again. Kia ora. Whoo! The experience of having Allen, my boss, in my home, it actually felt like family, and when you have family come in, it just` Yeah, you open up more, and, yeah, that's what I found with having Allen there is that it allowed me that opportunity to actually open up more, but also to invite him in to see what it is that I do, you know, on a day-to-day basis. Yeah. Important. www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2020