Burial price hike ahead of Napier cemetery expansion

Groundworks are underway to expand Western Hills Cemetery. Photo / Warren Buckland

A 1000-plot expansion at a Napier cemetery is one of the reasons behind a hike in burial prices, according to Napier City Council.

A recent study released by the Funeral Directors Association of New Zealand (FDANZ) found that prices have increased 10 per cent over the past two years for adult burials at Napier cemeteries.

Hastings Cemetery, the biggest cemetery in the city, has also upped its adult burial price by a more modest 5 per cent during that time.

A Napier City Council spokeswoman said the increased costs came down to a number of factors.

That included the council expanding Western Hills Cemetery in Poraiti, which is located a stone's throw from Park Island Cemetery.

Groundworks are under way on the project to make room for almost 1000 new burial plots.

"Napier is extending the cemetery because the city needs a larger space for future needs," she said.

Western Hills Cemetery is being expanded in Poraiti. Photo / Warren Buckland

The project could be finished by the end of the year.

The spokeswoman said the cost of diggers, concrete and other materials had also been going up and had been reflected in updated prices for burials at the council's cemeteries.

It currently costs $3397 to bury an adult at Napier City Council cemeteries (including Western Hills Cemetery) and $3830 to bury an adult at Hastings District Council's main cemetery, Hastings Cemetery.

That is up from $3095 and $3648 respectively in July 2020, according to FDANZ.

Those prices include the total cost of a new plot, maintenance, and interment (burial).

A sample of 17 councils across New Zealand showed that the average cost of a burial is now over $4000 - making Napier and Hastings reasonably priced in comparison.

Hastings District Council group manager asset management Craig Thew said pricing at its cemeteries had been increased following a review.

Prices have gone up at Hastings Cemetery as well. Photo / NZME

"A full review of costs and fees had not been completed for a number of years, over that time the cost of providing the service and the upcoming investment forecasts to renew ageing infrastructure across the cemeteries has risen."

FDANZ chief executive Gillian Boyes said the nationwide average cost of a very modest funeral service including a burial was now around $8400, which was sadly out of reach for many people.

She said the Work and Income funeral grant should be increased to help more people cover burials.

"This matters because Māori and Pacific families are disproportionately represented amongst those applying for the grant, and it's these families for whom burial remains the preferred funeral option," she said.

Western Hills Cemetery is the newest cemetery in Napier and was opened in 1985.

Both Napier and Hastings councils have additional costs if a burial is on Saturday afternoon or on a Sunday at one of its cemeteries.

Hastings District Council has different costs for each of its cemeteries and the study released by FDANZ focused on costs at its largest cemetery, Hastings Cemetery.

Hastings District Council has reduced pricing for those who have already bought a plot in the past but are having a second internment (burial) on the same plot.

Data on Wairoa and Central Hawke's Bay burial prices were not included in the FDANZ study.