Osbornes Funeral Home director Richard Fullard says making families pick 10 people to attend a funeral is unfair. Photo / File
Funeral directors are calling for a fairer approach to gatherings and calling out a "flip-flop" approach which is leaving grieving families in emotional turmoil.
The Government announced this week up to 50 people could attend funerals and tangi, under alert level 2, up from the 10 initially announced.
Funeral DirectorsAssociation president Gary Taylor said on Monday the 10-person limit was a "cruel and heartless blow".
The association welcomed the change of hear. Taylor said 50 was a number they "can work with for now".
Cars outside the home attracted police, but Wills said they were respectful when approaching the family to see what was going on.
Wills said the family understood the decision the Government made and praised their swift changes after listening to the concerns of people.
"[Ardern] was just trying to protect our whānau that are still alive."
Tauranga-based Hope Family Funeral Services director Tony Hope says the "flip-flop" approach to funerals was playing with people's minds.
He said while the new limit of 50 was doable, the restrictions and requirements which now needed to be met did not add up to the regulations around people meeting in a restaurant or movie theatre.
"The flip-flop over the last 10 days, it's been catastrophic for grieving families."
He said he understood this was being done to save thousands of lives, but restrictions created emotional turmoil.
Health Minister David Clark said the virus was seen to spread at funerals around the world.
A funeral of 100 people in the United States led to an outbreak resulting in 30 deaths, three funerals in South Africa led to 200 cases, and 143 cases in Canada have been linked to one funeral home.
A Ministry of Health spokeswoman said funerals were classed as exceptional events under level 2.
Groups of up to 50 mourners are able to attend a funeral or tangi providing the event is well managed and infection prevention control measures are met.
The venue can be a church, or for example, a mosque, marae, community hall or private home.
A police media spokeswoman said the police would continue to take an education-first approach to enforcing current restrictions and work with families, iwi, businesses and community groups to ensure public safety.
Funerals and tangihanga at Level 2
• Up to 50 people can attend. • Funeral directors register with the Ministry of Health. The Ministry of Health must be satisfied a range of public health measures can consistently be met. • Public health measures include maintaining physical distance, hand hygiene facilities. • Food and drink is allowed: groups of no more than 10 people eating together, individual portions, no alcohol. Source - Unite Against Covid-19 website.