Is there room to die? The lifespan of each Bay cemetery revealed

Old cemeteries like the Tauranga Anglican Cemetery are all filled up, so where does that leave the rest of us? Photo / Andrew Warner

Whether you are taken back to Mother Earth or you are scattered over your favourite fishing spot in the ocean, the decision on what to do with your remains when you die is yours. However, is there really enough room to plant your remains next to Suzie and Dave, or is over the ocean the only option? Leah Tebbutt finds out.

Further plots will need to be constructed at one of the Western Bay's largest cemeteries in four years.

Figures released to the Bay of Plenty Times under the Official Information Act illustrate the lifespan of each cemetery within both Western Bay of Plenty District Council and Tauranga City Council boundaries.

Katikati cemetery, which is blessed with views of the harbour between Matakana Island and the mainland, has been operating since 1878 when Reverend John Crossley died on November 5.

But its 140-year history of accommodating the deceased is almost at capacity as Western Bay of Plenty District council estimates more plots will be needed in 2023.

Of the space left, the council estimates a further 256 burial plots can take place at Katikati Cemetery, however, there are 343 plots available across the four Western Bay of Plenty cemeteries.

This figure does not include the 485 plots that have been reserved for future burials throughout the district.

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Currently, a total of 1264 bodies are spread across the cemetery, the third-highest total of all five Western Bay of Plenty cemeteries.

The highest is Old Te Puke Cemetery, with 1752 bodies in graves. Of those, 1724 are listed as adults and 28 are unknown.

Across the district, there are a total of 170 burial plots currently listed as "unknown".

Through the OIA, Western Bay council said "[we are] undergoing a data cleanse project, which may allow for some of these "unknown" plots to become available in the future".

When questioned further by the Bay of Plenty Times, the council's reserves and facilities manager Peter Watson said the data cleanse was simply an audit and correction if required with some verification on-site to determine if plots were able to be used or not.

"The council would not be exhuming any remains in these plots. The unknown plots will not be available for future burials," Watson said.

The primary reason for a plot being identified as "unknown" is the location is no longer able to be used for burial purposes due to trees roots or unstable ground and had no relation to the condition of the headstone, Watson said.

Old Te Puke Cemetery contains 1752 bodies and is believed to have opened in 1886. Photo / Andrew Warner

Old Te Puke Cemetery is closed but is believed have opened in 1886, when the first burial was recorded.

It has since been replaced with the Te Puke Cemetery, which has been operating at the back of the Kiwifruit town since 1958. It is estimated a further 2942 burials can take place but the council estimates the cemetery will need further burial plots in 2027.

Further plots will also be needed at Ōropi Cemetery and Maketū Cemetery by 2024 and 2027 respectively, the council estimates.

What is the situation in Tauranga?

With additional land being brought by the Tauranga City Council, the Pyes Pā Cemetery is set to go for another 64 years - but the same can't be said for the other five cemeteries in council boundaries.

The council estimates there is enough space for burials until approximately 2084 according to the OIA report - even though most cemeteries have room only for second interments and reserve-plot burials only.

"All new plot burials will be at Pyes Pā Memorial Park," Tauranga City Council said through a statement.

"Tauranga City Council has recently purchased land adjacent to Pyes Pā Memorial Park to use as further cemetery land, taking us to the approximate date for burials."

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The other cemeteries in council boundaries are scattered through the avenues and include the Anglican, Catholic, Presbyterian, Latter-day Saints and Methodist Cemetery.

These can only take second interments and reserved burials with some exceptions. But there is one site which will forever be closed to new burials - Mission Cemetery.

Established by the missionaries in 1838, soldiers and sailors who died at the battles of Gate Pā and Te Ranga were buried in Mission Cemetery according to Tauranga Memories.

Located at Otamaha Pā, near the harbour bridge, it is thought to contain the remains of about 100 imperial and colonial troops and 14 Māori warriors and be the eldest cemetery in Tauranga.

It helps make up the 12,181 graves which fill the Tauranga area - excluding urupa (Māori cemetery).

Of those, the council has records of 755 graves which are marked as unknown across all cemeteries.

"An unknown grave is one for which Tauranga City Council has no records for determining whether it has been reserved in advance, is vacant, or has never been sold.

"This could have happened during the management transition of the City Cemeteries from the Tauranga Cemetery Trust to Tauranga City Council."

Can we afford to die?

A report by New Zealand Seniors found funeral prices had increased 34 per cent for a basic burial in the past five years, the Bay of Plenty Times has previously reported.

The report found the Bay of Plenty had the second-lowest burial and cremation costs in the country. At an estimated $5725 in the Bay of Plenty, a basic burial is one of the cheapest in the country.

Jones & Company Funeral Services director Chris Andrews. Photo / File

However, the 2013 Census found the median yearly income for Tauranga people aged 15 years and over was $27,100.

This meant it would take more than an entire month's paycheck for the cheapest option - and more than three-and-a-half months for a standard burial.

Jones & Company Funeral Services director Chris Andrews had been in the industry for two decades and said the increasing cost of running the business, as well as plot prices, affected funeral trends and costs.

A combined cost of the plot and burial fee alone from Tauranga City Council cost $3093.

"[Funerals] seem too expensive ... that's why cremation is more popular because immediately in Tauranga, there's a $2000 saving."