Space for lawn burials in Waikumete Cemetery will run out in about three years based on current capacity.
Following engagement with local boards, iwi, the public and stakeholders, a feasibility study was presented to the Environment and Community Committee that identified six areas within the cemetery for future development for lawn burials. The committee approved these six areas for inclusion in a forthcoming master plan.
Committee Chair Penny Hulse says that if these areas were fully developed, they could give the cemetery up to 15 more years of lawn burial capacity.
“We want to continue to provide burials at Waikumete for as long as we can, until a new cemetery in the north-west of Auckland is operational,” she says.
“Work is underway to identify land suitable for a new cemetery, but this will take time as we’ll need to acquire it, go through the regulatory processes and then develop it to make it operational.
“The feasibility study will now inform a master plan which will provide the details on how the cemetery will be developed, including consenting work and future budget needs.”
About Waikumete Cemetery
Established in 1886, the 108ha cemetery is the resting place for more than 70,000 people.
It is New Zealand's largest cemetery and includes the Erebus memorial, Holocaust memorial, New Zealand Influenza Epidemic memorial and ANZAC Cenotaph.
Find out more about the cemetery on the Auckland Council website.
