Mahere Whakahaere Urupā: Ngā Urupā o Tawa, Karori me Mākara
Cemeteries Management Plan: Tawa, Karori and Mākara Cemeteries

Adopted June 2021.

The Council provides and manages land and infrastructure for its cemeteries. It also provides customer services to the bereaved, funeral sector and the public by handling bookings, information enquiries, carrying out burials and cremations and managing cemetery records. The cemeteries are important places of commemoration. They are also valued public open spaces with amenity, heritage, natural and recreation values.

The strategic and management plan for Tawa, Karori and Mākara Cemeteries aims to ensure we can meet the short and long-term cemetery needs of our growing city. The plan covers a 10-year period from 2021 to 2031 but within the context of a longer-term 20 to 50-year timeframe.

Cemeteries Management Plan: Tawa, Karori and Makara (8.34MB PDF)

The plan covers the general administrative, customer service, heritage, visitor experience, community, partnership and resilience aspects of running all our cemeteries. It also includes policies and actions specific to each cemetery, and rules for public use. The plan is based upon the following vision, values and goals.

Vision

Wellington’s cemeteries are recognised places of guardianship and remembrance where we support our bereaved, treasure our heritage and experience peace and tranquillity.

Key values

The vision is based on recognising and respecting the following key values associated with cemeteries.

  • Spiritual: Enduring places of rest for the deceased where the rituals of death are carried out with respect
  • Emotional: Places where the bereaved feel supported in farewelling and remembering their dead
  • Tikanga: Places where tikanga Māori is practiced
  • Heritage: Historic places that hold individual and collective stories of our past
  • Landscape: A tranquil setting where restorative nature is interwoven with built features
  • Community: Places of meaning and interest that people like to visit, explore and care for.

Goals

  • Statutory: Public health and record-keeping functions are fulfilled
  • Mana whenua: Mana whenua are partners in managing urupā and the Council’s cemeteries
  • Cemetery services: Respectful and culturally sensitive burial, cremation and memorial customer services are delivered to high quality standards
  • Sustainability: Long-term cemetery needs are provided for and cemetery land and facilities managed to achieve a balance between community need, environmental impact and economic cost
  • Managing key values: Cultural, emotional, heritage, landscape and community values are protected and enhanced
  • People and place: The close connection that people feel for cemeteries is recognised and supported.

More information

See our He Urupā Cemeteries pages or contact the Karori Cemetery Office:

Phone: 04 476 6109
Fax: 04 476 8242
Email: cemeteries@wcc.govt.nz