Nelson City Council

Operative 1 September 2008

The Governance Committee approved the draft Bylaw with minor amendments at its meeting of 7 August and has recommended its adoption by the full Council, which gave its approval at its 21 August meeting. The Bylaw is operative as of 1 September.

Council received 25 submissions during the consultation phase on the proposed bylaw for the management of the City’s cemeteries.

Background

The existing bylaw was assessed earlier in the year. It was decided that the majority of its provisions could be better managed if they were part of the current permit process that relates to the purchase of an exclusive right of burial and the internment.

The new system will enable the Council to offer greater flexibility to its customers when delivering these services. Also, making changes to the service in the future can be done much more easily, no longer requiring the formality of changing the bylaw.

With sections of the existing bylaw removed, the remaining provisions generally focus on:

• Damage to monuments and misconduct
• Conditions for erecting memorials, headstones and other structures
• Requirements for permits
• Limitations on wreaths and other tributes

Natural burial feedback

As part of the consultation, Council is also seeking comments about other types of burials, such as natural burial. There appears to be an interest to cater for such alternatives. The main features of natural burials are:

• The body of the deceased person is not embalmed
• The body is interred in a shroud or a casket of untreated wood without non-biodegradable fittings
• Burial sites are planted and left to revert to natural woodland
• Grave sites are identified and recorded by GIS technology

Contact

Direct any enquiries to Administration Adviser on 546 0436.