Vea Home Funeral is a family-owned and -operated business that opened its doors in 2015 as the first Togan funeral home in New Zealand with the goal of easing the mourning process by relieving the stress of the families we care for and providing them with affordable services and a comfortable place to celebrate the life of their departed loved one.
We are conscious that funerals can put a financial strain on the families in our community, so we tailor specific packages to meet their requirements.
Because we are located in the heart of South Auckland, we are connected to a diverse group of people from different cultural and religious backgrounds, which has helped us understand the differences allowing us to cater for every family’s need.
We work hard to make our families feel cared for and unconditionally accepted through a high-quality service that is delivered with respect, love, integrity and professionalism for the deceased and their loved ones during a difficult moment.
Vea Home Funeral has two different locations; the primary location in Otara and a second one in Wiri.
A father of eight children and a grandfather to 24 grandchildren, he was raised on the island of Tongatapu in the village of Ha’ateiho, Tonga. He then moved to Aoteroa, Auckland, New Zealand, in 1988.
Hailame has worked in the funeral industry for nearly 31 years, beginning with Ligaliga Funeral Services in the early 1990s and progressing to many other funeral homes in the Auckland region. His first break came in 2015 when he was given the opportunity to operate his very own funeral home, and with this opportunity, he was able to live out his dream as the first Tongan to own a funeral home in New Zealand.
His passion started when he realised how important his service was to the Tonga community. He had the dream of eventually branching out his services to the wider community and one day opening his very own funeral home in Tonga. Hailame is well known in the Tongan community and is remembered by many families for the work he has done over the years.
Hailame is an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and bases his services and the way he treats people on the teachings he has learned. The morals and standards he lives by require a high level of care and professionalism when dealing with those he is caring for and looking after. His biggest goal is to leave a legacy for his kids and grandkids to carry on and build. One of his favourite scriptures is found in Matthew 5:7. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.”
Sitani is the seventh of Hailame’s eight children and the son of Hailame, the founder of Vea Funeral Home. Sitani was born in Auckland, New Zealand, and raised in Mangere from 1993–2000. From the year 2000 to 2009, Sitani lived in the United States and returned to New Zealand on December 31st, 2009. He completed his two final years of high school and then graduated from Auckland University of Technology with a Bachelor of Business in 2015. was
Sitani began his career as a funeral director in 2017 when he decided to become an assistant funeral director to his father. This was also a great opportunity to take what he has learned from his tertiary studies and apply it to the funeral home. Sitani is committed to not only easing the stress of grieving families but also giving the community easy-to-reach services that meet their financial needs.
Sitani’s role as managing director entails the day-to-day operations of running a funeral home, which include tasks like stock-taking, administrative work, bookkeeping, and maintaining business-to-business relationships, to name a few. As managing director, Sitani is also in charge of the funeral home’s growth and strategic planning. He tries to give high-quality care to families and meet their financial needs.
Along with funeral directing, he is passionate about maintaining a healthy lifestyle and encouraging others to do so. This can include little activities such as going on little bush walks or going to the gym, meditating, eating healthier or smaller portions, etc. Sitani always says “Health is Wealth” and continues to live by this saying.
Okusitino Isitolo Paseka is a dedicated funeral director with a strong academic and professional background, holding a Bachelor of Arts in Event Management, a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and International Relations with a major in Pacific Studies, a Diploma in Theology, and a Level 5 Diploma in Funeral Directing and Embalming.
Okusitino is deeply passionate about the funeral industry because it allows him to serve families during one of the most vulnerable and sacred moments of their lives. He values the role of a funeral director as both a professional and a servant—someone entrusted with honouring life, culture, faith, and legacy with dignity and respect.
His work is guided by compassion, cultural understanding, and a strong commitment to Pacific values. These values align closely with Vea Funeral Home, a family-oriented organisation that prioritises care, respect, and genuine connection with the families it serves. For Okusitino, Vea Funeral Home is more than a workplace – it is a place where service, family, and community come together to support grieving families with professionalism and heart.