Cemetery options: book a plot now or die soon

Land is at a premium in Waipukurau cemetery and if you want a plot you need to die soon or reserve a site.

The Central Hawkes Bay Council says Waipukurau is expected to run out of burial plots in the next two years, with Waipawa and Otane cemeteries full up sometime in the next 10.

The squeeze comes partly from spouses buying plots next to deceased partners, only to remarry and decide to be buried elsewhere.

The council is trying to combat this by researching the history of plots reserved several years ago but not yet used, to determine if they are still needed or can be used for new graves.

The council plans to make radar searches of clear plots to determine if they are used but unmarked, or still vacant.

Spokeswoman Shelley Burne-Field said even if the council found a number of vacant plots in each cemetery, which could take years to research, it might still not prevent the cemeteries from filling up soon.

A council report suggests the problem could be exacerbated by the age of the region's population, 12.1 per cent of whom are over 65.

Central Hawkes Bay Funeral Services director Peter Fleming said 60 per cent of families chose cremation for their loved ones rather than burial so he did not think a lack of space was going to be a "huge issue".

"The small country cemeteries are not being used all that much."

He said a crematorium in Central Hawkes Bay would not be economic because of the size of the population and the lack of natural gas in the area.

Mr Fleming suggested burying people at "extra depth" so loved ones could be buried on top.

- NZPA