The recent repair of pot holes in Waingake Rd is substandard and already coming out, says Manutuke resident D. Brown. Photo / D. Brown
OPINION
Anyone can make funeral arrangements
According to Births, Deaths and Marriages, anyone, not just a funeral director, can organise a burial, cremation or other disposal of the body of a deceased.
To do this, a BDM28 form must be sent, with the Medical Certificate Cause of Death (signed by the doctor), within three days of burial or cremation.
Knowing these legal rights and being prepared, we arranged our mother’s tangi last week.
We were organised in our arrangements, her coffin was made, her body was kept cool with Manaaki Mats and we were now ready to place the death notice in the Gisborne Herald.
We were extremely distressed when told by an NZME staff member that we could not place a death notice or organise a death without a funeral director. Their inaccurate information caused undue stress and frustration at a vulnerable time for our whānau.
We informed them that their information was incorrect and suggested to them that the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death be emailed as proof that our mother had died. After an unnecessarily stressful conversation, the matter was finally resolved, enabling us to place our death notice.
We want to help others in this situation and hope this experience will educate staff that anyone (not just a funeral director) can make funeral arrangements.
Funeral directors do a wonderful job but it is important for people to know all their options, including being able to arrange the paperwork themselves.
We also want whānau to be aware that to place the initial death notice, you must email the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death. This will resolve the issue of ensuring that staff can clearly identify the person in charge of the main arrangements so they can act accordingly.
For our beautiful Queen of the castle, Trudy Meredith – all her wishes were carried out; she remained in her home, she stayed natural in her deathcare, and she had a magnificent farewell.
If you would like to do what we did, do your research, be prepared, and remember that legally you have the right to make all the arrangements.
The Meredith whānau
See above the photo of repairs to Waingake Rd. The repair is substandard and already coming out.
How can our council justify spending our rates on this? Please tell us what this cost, as it will need to be done again.
D. Brown
On Sunday, after a pleasant Father’s Day dinner, I had occasion to drive out from the Gisborne town centre to my home in Patutahi.
I was amazed to see so many street lights not working along Gladstone Rd.
Not only were so many just “out”, there was a lot that were desperately trying to turn our streets into a poor man’s discotheque.
I recall a while back the council explaining in some detail an issue they were having with this very problem. It was explained as being an issue with the warranty on the power supplies from the manufacturer.
For a while I was pleased to see that they seemed to have mostly got on top of the problem but alas, the eye seems to have been taken away from the issue.
Would it be too much to ask of our council to just put some concentration into managing their basic and core functions?
Just a thought – could it be the failed lighting is so we don’t notice the potholes?
Peter Beck
Re: “Social media fuelling abuse, say councillors” – August 30 story.
I don’t have a problem with the council – they were elected and do the best job they can. I DO have a problem with the very feral element and disgusting comments and behaviour from an increasing number of people who cannot see past their own noses and will not contribute in a positive way to the community.
Vickie Reid
Road User Charges seem like a rip-off.
Let’s say that it takes 80 litres of fuel to travel 1000km. At the current rate of 45.02 cents a litre, the fuel tax will be $36.016 at 1000km. If you buy 1000km of Road User Charges (RUCs), it will cost you $76 for the same distance – that’s more than double the cost for RUCs.
This is what we’ve been paying for our small diesel vehicle and it’s a rip-off. Vehicles that are a lot thirstier than mine will save and small vehicle owners will be subsidising them. I also don’t understand why it goes up every year.
Mary-Ann de Kort
Bob Whinray Garnett visited New Zealand for the first time to learn about his ancestor.