Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

First natural burial held in Whakatāne

By Charlotte Jones
Local Democracy Reporter·Other·
8 Apr, 2021 07:57 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Natural burials are considered better for the environment. Photo / 123rf

Natural burials are considered better for the environment. Photo / 123rf

LDR_STRAP

Six months after they were made legal, the first natural burial has been held in the Whakatāne District.

Whakatāne District Council general manager community experience Georgina Fletcher said council staff felt privileged to be able to facilitate the first burial at the Hillcrest Cemetery Natural Burial Grove.

"Those who have been involved in its establishment are grateful to have been a part of making this unique opportunity available for individuals and whānau," she said.

"This includes the staff who assisted through the planning stages, and the parks and cemetery staff who prepared the grove with great care."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The central principle of natural burials is to return the body to the earth for the benefit of the environment without the introduction of anything that would interfere with or pollute environmental processes.

"The grove is the result of a partnership between Whakatāne District Council and the not-for-profit organisation, New Zealand Natural Burials," said Fletcher.

"The grove will eventually become a living memorial to those buried there, a home for native flora and fauna, and a beautiful place for family and friends to visit."

Whakatāne councillors voted to allow natural burials in September last year after being asked to do so by the community.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

When buried naturally, a body is placed in a shallow plot, in an environmentally friendly coffin made of soft, untreated wood or cardboard or a shroud. Compost is placed with the body and a native tree planted on top. Eventually the natural cemetery becomes native bush and a permanent living memorial to those buried there.

This section of bush alongside the Hillcrest Cemetery was designated as the spot for the first natural burials to occur in Whakatāne. Photo / Charlotte Jones
This section of bush alongside the Hillcrest Cemetery was designated as the spot for the first natural burials to occur in Whakatāne. Photo / Charlotte Jones

Natural burials are considered better for the environment as they aid rapid decomposition and an uptake in nutrient release, whereas traditional post-death disposition practices are considered resource-heavy and can damage the environment through harmful processes such as embalming.

Willetts Funeral Services facilitated the service for the whānau.

While the loss of a loved one is always painful, Whakatāne natural burial campaigner Jill Needham said it is great people can be buried in the way that they want.

"It is fantastic the first one has taken place, no one really wants to be number one, but now that one has happened, we may see more happening," she said.

"That may set the precedent and we may have more people choosing that as an option."

Whakatāne District Council has set aside 50-100 natural burial plots on the hillside at the Hillcrest Cemetery.

It is an ideal spot as it is tranquil with established flora and fauna.

It costs $3035 to be buried naturally in the Whakatāne District and people can choose between several species of native trees to be planted on their plot.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty Times

Rural community 'in shock' as industrial park greenlit

Premium
Bay of Plenty Times

'Stay on your side of the Bombays': Rotorua developer's swipe at Auckland firms

Premium
Bay of Plenty Times

More than half of Crown Regional Holdings' loan book flagged as 'at risk'


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Rural community 'in shock' as industrial park greenlit
Bay of Plenty Times

Rural community 'in shock' as industrial park greenlit

It will add up to 125 vehicle movements an hour on local roads.

16 Jul 09:04 PM
Premium
Premium
'Stay on your side of the Bombays': Rotorua developer's swipe at Auckland firms
Bay of Plenty Times

'Stay on your side of the Bombays': Rotorua developer's swipe at Auckland firms

16 Jul 09:03 PM
Premium
Premium
More than half of Crown Regional Holdings' loan book flagged as 'at risk'
Bay of Plenty Times

More than half of Crown Regional Holdings' loan book flagged as 'at risk'

16 Jul 08:54 PM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP