Auckland Cemeteries has unreservedly apologised to a family following the concurrent booking of two burial ceremonies at Papakura South Cemetery.
The mistake resulted in the two ceremonies taking place at the same time, in the same row of the cemetery, which caused distress for those involved.
“We have unreservedly apologised to the family following their complaint to us, and refunded their burial fees,” says Catherine Moore, Manager Auckland Cemeteries.
“We are endeavouring to contact the other family involved to discuss it further.”
Across the region, Auckland Cemeteries undertake over 2000 burials per year in 30 cemeteries, as well as 3000 cremations.
“We take such sensitive matters very seriously and we are ensuring that processes are in place to make sure an error like this does not happen again,” says Ms Moore.
“Burying a loved one is a difficult time for any family, and we appreciate that our services need to be of the highest standard to assist families in their grief.
“We regret that a small number of mistakes occur from time to time, and we are continually improving our processes to ensure that they do not happen in the future.”
