Dead ringers for cellphone fad

More and more Kiwis are getting buried with their mobile phones in a bizarre worldwide trend.

The practice originated in South Africa, where some people's belief in witchcraft meant they feared they could fall under a spell, be put to sleep and be buried. If they had their phone with them when they woke up, they could call for help.

While in New Zealand the trend has little to do with witchcraft, relatives have buried their dead with a cellphone just in case they did wake up.

Six years ago, Auckland funeral director Martin Williams buried his father with his mobile phone.

"We bought dad a phone, charged it with $20 bucks, and put it in his top pocket," he said. "On reflection it was a bit silly but we felt he should have some way of communicating," he said.

A few days after the funeral, he called his father's phone and it rang.

"It would have given us one heck of a shock if he had answered it."

Mr Williams said the practice had caught on and many of his clients had buried relatives with their cellphones, often as a "symbolic gesture".

South Auckland funeral director Robert Muriwai said that often requests came from the families of young people. He had buried a spate of young drivers in the past couple of years who had been killed in "boy-racer" situations and cellphones and modern-day mementos were among the first things to go into their coffins. Only once had he buried a businessman with a mobile phone. "The wife just felt it was ... because he always had it on him."

Lower Hutt funeral director Gavin Murphy believed as cellphones became more popular with older generations, the trend would increase.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY