West Auckland runs out of cemetery space to bury dead: Council plans for new land snagged in court

• West Auckland has run out of space to bury the dead.
• Waikumete Cemetery in Glen Eden has ‘capacity constraints’ and Auckland Council stopped burials there in July 2024 due to the ground being too wet.
• New burials will be offered in early 2027 after an expansion. Meanwhile, the council is trying to forcibly acquire land for a new cemetery.

Auckland’s largest cemetery has run out of space to bury the dead.

And plans to buy a $26 million parcel of land for new burials have landed before the courts.

Waikumete Cemetery, in West Auckland, “has capacity constraints and additional land is required to meet future needs”, Auckland Council’s general manager of parks and community facilities Taryn Crewe says.

The council halted burials in Waikumete’s general plots in July last year after rain made the ground too unstable, Crewe said.

The council will not offer any new burials for about two years, until a planned expansion of about 800 new burial plots is completed, she said.

“On completion of this expansion, the cemetery is planning on offering new adult burials in early 2027.”

Nearly 1800 sets of ashes dating back as far as the 1920s and buried in vaults at Waikumete Cemetery must be treated with sensitivity and respect, says the council. Photo/ Jason Dorday

It will cost about $3.45m for the expansion and “associated infrastructure”, Crewe said. Costs so far, and accounted for until June this year, sat at $947,111 – including design and resource consent costs.

Council tries to forcibly acquire $26m land parcel

Crewe said although “at least 20 years” of capacity remained at the council’s other “hub cemetery” at North Shore Memorial Gardens and “at least another eight years” at Manukau Memorial Gardens, more was needed in West Auckland.

“As Auckland’s population continues to grow, so too does the pressure on our cemetery network.

“Following extensive site assessments since 2019, a parcel of privately owned land at 1080 State Highway 16, Reweti, was identified as the most suitable location for a new cemetery in northwest Auckland.”

The Herald understands the land, at Reweti, near Waimauku, is about 160ha and valued at about $26m.

The new site has burial capacity for “at least 50 to 60 years”, she said. However, it was too early to say how many burial plots there would be.

The council issued a notice of intent to forcibly acquire the land under the Public Works Act in December.

However, the private landowner lodged an objection in the Environment Court. Council “will continue to follow the legal process while also working with relevant parties”, Crewe said.

Auckland Council owns and operates 53 cemeteries across the region, covering a total area of 116ha. Only 30 of these are operational.

Waikumete, along with the North Shore and Manukau memorial gardens, holds 80% of council-administered burials in the region. Auckland Council handles about 1500 burials a year, as well as 1000 ash burials and 2400 cremations.

Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.

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