Our Team

At Forrests our funeral directors are very much a part of the community, and are passionate about providing a professional and caring service. They have extensive experience in the funeral service and are available at any time to talk through your options with you.

To find out more about the extra care our team offers, please phone Forrest Funeral Services at East Coast Bays
on 09 479 5956 or Hibiscus Coast in Orewa on 09 426 7950.

Leanne Little – MANAGER & FUNERAL DIRECTOR, NATIONAL DIPLOMA. FD

Leanne is the manager at the Orewa branch of Forrest Funeral Services. She has completed the National Diploma in Funeral Directing and, having been involved in funeral service for many years, is truly passionate about her work and her commitment to client families. Leanne lives in Red Beach and is a member of the Lions, the Rotary Inner Wheel of Orewa and Whangaparaoa, the Silverdale RSA and the Red Beach Surf Life Saving Club. She enjoys walking on the beach, cooking, and retail therapy. Leanne has a son and daughter that are both in full time study.

Matija Micheli – FUNERAL DIRECTOR

Matija (Matt) is a Funeral Director at Forrest Funeral Services, East Coast Bays. In 2009, whilst living in Italy, he completed the Italian National Course for Funeral Directing and directed funerals there for seven years, followed by a year in Canada. Matt then moved to Finland for two years before finally settling in Auckland in 2016. After travelling extensively, Matt is multilingual and able to speak Italian, Slovenian, Croatian, Finnish and of course English. In his spare time, Matt loves playing guitar, boxing, swimming and relaxing.

Jeanette Cullingford – FUNERAL DIRECTOR, NZ DIPLOMA FD

Jeanette is a Funeral Director at Forrest Funeral Services Orewa. She has had numerous roles in the workforce from banker to postie, with her most recent position being at North Shore Memorial Park, Schnapper Rock. It was whilst working at the Cemetery and Crematorium that Jeanette realised she wanted to offer greater support to bereaved families through her kindness and empathy. She joined the Forrest team in 2016 and has recently completed the National Diploma in Funeral Directing. She has lived on the Hibiscus Coast for 28 years with her husband, and has two teenage daughters. She very much enjoys being part of her community working with and for other Coasties. She loves spending time with her family, cooking and craftwork.