MANDY SMITH
Technology has extended the life of Waipukurau cemetery by three years, but that will not stop plans for a district cemetery in Waipawa.
Council workers used ground radar scans last week to check whether all plots were occupied at Waipukurau cemetery as burial records were destroyed in a fire in the 1930s, and the graveyard was thought to be almost full.
Forty vacant plots were uncovered, extending the cemetery's life by an estimated three years.
And while that is good news for the town, a district cemetery is still likely, according to the Central Hawke's Bay District Council's draft annual plan, because Waipukurau and Otane graveyards are approaching capacity, and the council cannot afford to buy more land at each site.
"We're in a position where a number of cemeteries are reaching the end of their lifespan, and we have to decide on their future," the council's chief executive, John Freeman, said.
The council could not afford the asking price for extra land at Waipukurau cemetery.
Buying additional land at Otane cemetery, which has just four reservations left, would push carparking onto the roadside, endangering cemetery-goers once the new intersection and passing lane was built nearby.
"This is a heads-up to the people of Otane and other towns that we will be heading down the road of a district cemetery, and sooner rather than later," Mr Freeman said.
The council is now negotiating to buy 5 1/2 acres (2.2ha) to the north of Waipawa cemetery for a district cemetery, to be used once the others become full.
About 50 bodies are buried or cremated in the district every year.
Mr Freeman expects the new area to provide plots for at least 50 years, if the 60 percent cremation rate continues.
Although Otane and Waipukurau residents would have to travel further to the new cemetery, they were better off than Aucklanders, who had to travel much further to theirs, he said.
Members of the public have until May 11 to have their say on the draft annual plan.
Waipawa a final destination
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