The future of Wellington’s cemeteries

Between July 2020 and June 2021, we reviewed our strategic and management plan for Tawa, Karori and Mākara cemeteries. The review aimed to ensure we can meet the short and long-term cemetery needs of our growing city.

Under the Burials and Cremations Act, Wellington City Council has statutory responsibilities and functions to provide for burials and manage cemeteries.

There were a number of issues which we needed to think about to prepare for the future.

Karori Cemetery is almost at full capacity, and Mākara Cemetery is predicted to reach capacity for ash and burial interments between 2038 and 2047.

Demand for cemetery services and the way we use our cemeteries as open spaces is changing as our community diversifies. We needed to understand what services and facilities people would like to see at our cemeteries.

Heritage protection at Karori and Tawa Cemeteries is another issue which we considered in the review. Both cemeteries date back to colonial times and have significant historic value.

Please see our Frequently Asked Questions for more information about Wellington City Council's cemeteries and about the review.

What happened with this project

In July 2020, we undertook an informal engagement with key stakeholders and the wider community on how our cemeteries are used and ideas for the future.

The findings were used to inform the development of the draft plan, which was open for formal consultation from Friday 6 November to Friday 11 December 2020. Oral submissions on the draft plan were heard in February 2021.

The plan was approved by the Social, Cultural and Economic Committee on 22 June 2021, and was released to the public in mid-July 2021.

You can read the final plan here.