Our Team

Experienced & caring Funeral Directors in Hamilton

Finding the right support during a difficult time can make all the difference. The team of funeral directors in Hamilton at Pellow & Hill brings decades of combined experience, compassion, and professionalism to help families navigate these moments with care and understanding.

As proud Hamilton locals, the team is deeply connected to the community and honoured to support families in celebrating and remembering their loved ones. With a commitment to the same trusted values upheld by Pellows and James R Hill for over six decades, the team continues to provide care that is warm, respectful, and personalised.

Meet our team of funeral directors in Hamilton

Our trusted team is here to listen, guide, and support, ensuring every detail of the farewell reflects the wishes and needs of each family.

Whether it is through a small gesture or planning every aspect of the service, the team works tirelessly to provide families with peace of mind and a truly meaningful experience. Every team member embodies the values of Pellow & Hill: making a positive impact, pursuing the best outcomes with determination, celebrating life with pride and passion, delivering exceptional service, and ensuring a respectful, caring environment. Let our dedicated funeral directors in Hamilton help you create a farewell that honours your loved one with dignity and care.

William Eagar-Savage

Manager / Nat Cert FD

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Coming from a family line of funeral directors, William brings a wealth of experience to the role. William’s grandfather was a cabinet maker who became a funeral director after his trade saw him making an increasing number of caskets. This business was eventually taken over by William’s father, with William joining the business in 2004. William joined the team at Pellows in 2012, where he worked until familial obligations called him back home. He now returns to take up the role of manager.

“I’ve always loved Hamilton, so I’m happy to be able to join the Pellows team once more. Looking after families is at the core of everything we do as funeral directors. It’s important to us to be there for people as they say goodbye to loved ones, and that we do everything we can to make that process as smooth and respectful as possible. I hope I can become a strong support to the local Hamilton families we work with – we are here to serve.”

William moves back to Hamilton alongside his partner and three dogs, Sophie, Harry and George.

Lance Rairi

Acting Manager, Dinsdale / A.Emb; Cert.Emb

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Lance has extensive experience in the funeral profession, beginning his training in Christchurch as a trainee with a prominent funeral service provider. He earned his embalming qualifications and developed expertise across all aspects of funeral services. After relocating to Hamilton, Lance continued to build on his skills, offering compassionate guidance and support to families as they navigate the process of saying farewell to their loved ones. With many years of experience, he is dedicated to helping families explore their options and create meaningful tributes.

CJ Egan

Embalmer

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CJ has been involved in the funeral industry since 2002. CJ spent 14 years as a sexton at Hamilton park cemetery before joining the Pellows team to increase his knowledge and experience of the funeral industry.

CJ is an extremely keen outdoorsman and enjoys hunting fishing camping and gardening in his spare time.

Nikki Whittington

Embalmer / Funeral Director

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Nikki commenced her career as a Funeral Director in the UK before moving to New Zealand 10 years ago. More recently she has been raising her 2 children before coming to join the Pellows team.

Outside of work Nikki is involved with her children’s extra-curricular activities and also enjoys horse riding and all things equestrian.

Dillon Makata

Funeral Director

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With over a decade of experience in customer service, Dillon transitioned to a more fulfilling role as a Funeral Director at Pellows, bringing a compassionate touch and deep empathy to his work.

Having moved from Auckland to Hamilton, Dillon balances his professional life with his cherished role as a husband and father of four. His commitment to providing thoughtful, personalized care ensures that every family receives the support and respect they need during difficult times.

Shane Doyle

Funeral Director

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With over four years of experience as a dedicated funeral director, Shane has been a pillar of compassion and support for families in Hamilton. His commitment to putting people first ensures that every service is handled with care, respect, and dignity. When families need guidance during life’s most difficult moments, Shane is there to provide comfort and professionalism every step of the way.

Alvin Mataiti

Assistant Manager / Funeral Director

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I have always valued being of service to the community and in the light of losing my mother some years ago, I too wanted to help families in their hour of need. This has become a new found passion for me.

I am married to a registered nurse and we have two daughters and I thoroughly enjoy spending quality time with my family. Moving from Wellington 8 years ago has been an ambitious, but encouraging move for our family and we are glad to call Waikato our home.

Sue Hanlon

Administration

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I joined the funeral industry in 2014 and quickly realised that I found the industry that I had long wanted to work in.

I love the contact with the families and being able to support them in a very vulnerable time of their lives.

I feel it’s a privileged position and it humbles me on most day watching our funeral directors connect with our families and the trust that the families put in us to hold and guide them to the funeral that the family are choosing to have.