Meet your Elliotts team

Kylie Sprague

Manager, Funeral Director & Embalmer

Kylie has been part of the Elliotts team for more than 25 years. Born and raised in Tauranga, she cares for the people of this community like her own family. She and her husband Grant have three adult daughters, and her spare time is filled with baking, cycling and work around their orchard.

Yvonne Winch

Assistant Manager & Funeral Director

Yvonne joined Elliotts in October 2022, after 3 years working in the funeral industry in the Gold Coast. Prior to this she was a funeral director in Auckland for 14 years and became fully qualified in 2015 with a Diploma in Funeral Services. Yvonne says “It is such an honor to be able to guide families through the funeral arrangements when they are facing one of the toughest times of their lives. Everyone has a story and I love hearing all about their loved one’s life story”. Yvonne and her husband Chris are the parents of 2 adult girls, and proud Nonnie and Poppy to their only grandchild Lillie.

Daryl Halloran

Funeral Director

Darryl’s role since 2017 encompassed Chapel Management for a number of sites in Auckland including Manukau Memorial gardens, Waikumete and Snapper Rock cemeteries.
Darryl also has a passion for health and Safety so managed this component for the group along with general audio-visual installations and improvement.
His previous careers have been in logistics, operations and general management, spanning almost 40 years.
Darryl has proven experience in adding value to business brands such as Sony NZ, Repco, Harvey Norman, Americold and Restaurant Brands to name a few. In addition, he has a strong background in operational and financial management including accounts, purchasing, customer services, IT, distribution, HS&E and freight costing and management.
Above all, Darryl is a positive, driven, proactive, trustworthy and dedicated individual that will always go the extra mile.
Darryl enjoys playing drums, Mountain biking, listening to music, gardening and building models.

Bruce Wills

Funeral Director

Bruce has been part of the Elliotts team for more than 20 years. Born in Te Puke, he joined us after a career in the Police and chaplaincy. He holds a National Certificate in Funeral Directing and his gentle care for local families is an inspiration to us all. He and his wife Bev have adult children and his interests include weightlifting and rowing.

Chris Winch

Funeral Director

Chris recently joined the team at Elliotts after working in Corrections for many years in both New Zealand and Australia, assisting offenders to reintegrate back into the community. Chris is passionate about making a difference in people’s lives and having been around the funeral industry for over 20 years as his wife Yvonne followed her career, he understands the difference funeral directors can make when assisting a grieving family. In his spare time, Chris is a drummer of a covers band and loves motocross riding. Chris is also the dotting dad to 2 girls, and Poppa C to his only grandchild Lillie.

Shanlee Tauleletoa

Funeral Director

Kia Ora, Faka lofa lahi atu and Hello,

Ko Tainui te Waka
Ko Waikato te Awa
Ko Waikato te Iwi
Ko Ngāti Tipa te Hapu
Ko Te Kotahitanga te marae.

I was born and raised in Pukekohe surrounded by my siblings, aunties and uncles. I then made the big move to Tauranga in 2017 with my partner.

I joined the Elliotts team after having a long-standing interest in the funeral industry. I have a loving nature and a friendly personality and am genuinely excited to be serving the community as an Elliotts Funeral Director.

In my spare time I enjoy relaxing at home with my family, watching movies, catching up with friends, arts and crafts projects and playing a round of golf with my partner.

Chris Doyle

Embalmer

Doyle comes from a building background and his decision to join the funeral industry 7 years ago became the foundation of his career as an Embalmer. As a former Fireman Doyle possesses a natural desire to care for others and this unifies in his role at Elliotts. In his spare time Doyle enjoys building small projects in the home he shares with his partner and spending time with his adult children.

Karen MacEachen

Office Administration

After spending the last 30 plus years living in Scotland where Karen met her husband Gordon, they both decided to return to New Zealand in late 2021. Karen has previously worked in a variety of professions including teaching, banking, hospitality and for the last 15 years in the funeral industry. This was initially an administrative position but after 10 years she moved into the role of a funeral arranger.

Susan Whatmough

Office Administration

Susan joined Elliotts in 2007 after a career in newspapers, and she’s proud to support local families through tough times. Born in the West Midlands of England, she came to New Zealand with her family at the age of nine and now lives with her husband, Alec, on a lifestyle block, which they share with two dogs, a cat, chickens and sheep.

Jenny McLean

Office Administration

Jenny joined Elliotts in 2023 with a background in Office Management and Administration, Customer service and retail sales. She holds a Level 6 New Zealand Diploma in Business and a Level 5 Accounting Diploma. Born in England she came to New Zealand as a toddler and has spent most of her life living in Tauranga. Her interests include camping, cooking and spending time with family and friends.

Anne Doel

Office Administration

Before joining Elliotts, Anne worked in Auckland as a cemetery administrator at North Shore Memorial Park and as administrator and receptionist for Forrest Funeral Services. Anne and her husband George re-located to the Bay of Plenty in 2016. Anne loves walking her beloved dog Bo, reading, folk art painting and ceramics.

Ikihemotu Tauleletoa

Embalmer

Faka lofa lahi atu! Kia ora! Talofa! Malo e lelei ! Bula! And Hello! My name is Ikihemotu Tauleletoa (iki). I am a father to 8 children and koro to a tribe! I was born on the Rock of the pacific also known as Niue Island . I migrated to New Zealand at an early age where I grew up and attended schooling in Pukekohe. I raised my tamariki in Pukekohe surrounded by potatoes patches, onions fields and where well known movies are made. I started my funeral journey 5 years ago as a Funeral Directors Assistant before becoming a Funeral Director’s Assistant Coordinator where I gained a strong knowledge in cultural funerals and tangihanga. This was achieved with the help and support of the team from Fountain Funerals in Papakura. I have recently made the move down to Tauranga where my children are and to further my ambitions as an embalmer.