Auckland Council commended for making changes to cemeteries by-law

Auckland Council has been congratulated by Multicultural New Zealand for making changes to its proposed by-law on cemeteries and crematoria to accommodate the concerns of religious and cultural communities.

Submissions were reopened in June following our request to the Mayor to do so, and 19 further submissions were received within 24 hours. The concerns raised by us at the subsequent hearing were echoed by representatives of a variety of communities and the Race Relations Commissioner.

A revised code of practice for cemeteries and crematoria was circulated by the Council this month and all the issues raised by us and others have been satisfactorily addressed. These include:
· Making it clear at the outset that the Council has the flexibility to facilitate as many of the needs and wishes of all Aucklanders as it can
· Providing flexibility for burial times outside normal hours to accommodate the needs of those whose culture or beliefs require burial within a limited time
· Allowing for relatives to assist in the filling of a grave
· Removing the limit of two persons who can witness a cremation
· Removing restrictions on the scattering of ashes
Multicultural New Zealand is very pleased at this outcome and we hope that lessons have been learnt about actively consulting cultural and religious communities on matters that affect them in a multicultural society.

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