- By Laura Kvigstad, Auckland Council reporter funded by New Zealand on Air
Auckland Council will seek public feedback on cemetery bylaws and whether they strike the right balance between cultural practices and environmental concerns.
At the council’s Governing Body meeting in December, councillors approved public consultation on proposed changes to cemetery bylaws.
Councillor Josephine Bartley, chair of the regulatory and safety committee, said the proposal aimed to simplify the bylaw, removing duplication and clarifying key rules.
“The proposed changes are structural and will not change the public’s current use of council provided cemetery and crematoria services,” Bartley said.
She added that the proposal only applies to the council’s cemeteries and crematoria, not private cemeteries or urupa.
A key issue raised by councillors was the council’s rules on adornments.
Presently, 28 days after a funeral, all flowers and adornments must be confined to the berm to allow cemetery staff to weed and mow around the plots.
Councillor Lotu Fuli emphasised the importance of recognising cultural practices in the bylaw, particularly within Pasifika communities.
“Our people do want adornments, whereas that’s an environmental issue from the council’s point of view,” Fuli said.
Councillor Daniel Newman asked how the council was managing adornments and acknowledged the complexity of the issue.
“There is a need to balance out the needs of those who are grieving for the loss of their loved ones through the placement of adornments versus the environmental management,” Newman said.
“Adornments tend to be ever present in those parts of the cemetery for the babies and those adornments can be there for many, many years.
“Do we, officially, turn a blind eye in part to some of these challenges that we have faced with adornments, or are we going to go quite hard in this space because it’s very complex and extremely sensitive?”
Senior policy advisor Elizabeth Osbourne said council’s cemetery staff took a very empathetic approach to enforcement.
“They will often communicate and educate families and work with them to come to a conclusion that suits their grieving,” Osbourne said.
Senior policy manager Paul Wilson said the consultation was an opportunity for communities to provide feedback on whether the rules were striking the right balance.
“This is the time that we can have that debate about what the rule should be.
“Ideally, the rule should reflect what we actually do. You never want to have a rule that you turn a blind eye to. That’s just a sign of a bad rule,” Wilson said.
Consultation for the bylaw is expected to open soon.
