Jennie Milne

Hi I am Jennie, I am married to wonderful Scottie and have three adult children, one lovely daughter-in-law, a simply beautiful granddaughter Chiara and gorgeous grandson, Raph. I hold a Certificate in Celebrant Studies and am specialising in being a funeral celebrant. My business is called ‘Flourish’ – with the by line “together in life’s sacred moments” and I consider it a real privilege to work with grieving families to honour and mark the death of their loved one and to create a memorable ceremony that will tell their loved one’s story well .

My love of writing, use of encouraging words and marking significant moments with meaning hope and creativity has been outworked in both my professional and family life over the past 40 years – be it as an Occupational Therapist specialising in mental health; a mother of small children volunteering in her community; advocating for families through our Charitable Trust, Campaign for our Children; encouraging and training parents through the How to Drug Proof Your Kids programme I established here in NZ or through leading a Family Ministry in a large Auckland Church.

The threads of family, friends and community have run strongly through my life and with that comes journeying with close family and friends through times of intense pain and loss as well as creatively celebrating significant and joyful anniversaries and rites of passage. 

It is special to take these threads, representing the things that I have done over the years, and to weave them into my work as a celebrant.

Singing, gardening, baking and hospitality are a rich part of my life and so I take a little something from my garden or kitchen on my first visit to a family.

A funeral is a family milestone and it is an honour to work with families to capture the essence of the life of their loved one in a way that is unique to them. First and foremost it is their ceremony and the families’ views about life, faith and spirituality are important and I will work with them to honour those beliefs. It is a privilege to mark and hold this sacred moment of farewelling the one they love, creating a place of safety and trust for them to do this.