Taupō district deputy mayor Christine Rankin (left) and Taupō District Council team leader assets and cemeteries Kieran Smith at the new Taupō Natural Burial Area which is now open. Photo / TDC
Taupō district deputy mayor Christine Rankin (left) and Taupō District Council team leader assets and cemeteries Kieran Smith at the new Taupō Natural Burial Area which is now open. Photo / TDC
From a graveyard to a flourishing forest - now you can tread lightly on the earth, even after death.
The option of natural burials in Taupō is now a reality with a new natural burial zone opened by the Taupō District Council at the Taupō Cemetery.
The Taupō Natural Burial Area has been certified by the Natural Burials organisation, a not-for-profit group that advocates for and promotes natural burials in New Zealand and certifies natural cemeteries, caskets and funeral directors.
In a natural burial, non-embalmed bodies are placed in untreated wood caskets and buried in shallower graves than usual, with trees grown in the area above. New Zealand's first natural cemetery was set up with Wellington Council in 2008 and there are now 18 natural cemeteries and zones throughout the country. Cemeteries are owned and managed by their respective councils.
At 1500sq m the Taupō Natural Burial Area has space for around 140 to 150 burials and would take an estimated 15 years to fill, said Kieran Smith, Taupō District Council team leader of assets and cemeteries.
Graves will be temporarily marked with a wooden plaque which would rot away after a decade, but a GPS location of each would be held on council records, Mr Smith said.
Once a person had been buried, families would be able to plant a native tree on their grave, from a list of approved plants.
The idea is that eventually the natural burial area will be transformed into an area of beautiful native bush.
Mr Smith said that because Taupō's pumice soil is typically not rich in micro-organisms, the council had brought in some soil for the natural burial area from elsewhere in the district and covered it with a layer of mulch to start the microbial process off.
"We'll get some soil tests done to get the balance right and import some worms."
Mark Blackham, Natural Burials' founder and spokesman, said the Taupō Natural Burial Area took pride of place near the cemetery entrance.
"The stand of native bush growing there will become iconic to the cemetery and will be a permanent memorial for those buried there.
Taupō resident and natural burial advocate Linda McGrogan (left) with Mark Blackham of New Zealand Natural Burials in January at the proposed Taupō Natural Burials Area. Photo / Laurilee McMichael
"We're thrilled that the council has agreed to apply the principle of adding nothing synthetic to the soil, and to let nature do its work," Mr Blackham said.
He said practical considerations were important, including access and layout.
"It's a great boon that it is very easy for families and friends, and future visitors, to get to the flat site and use it.
"Our surveys show that at least one-third of locals are enthusiastic about natural burials. It gives many people some happiness to think their body will be there after they die. We can be confident there will be plenty of future users of the site," Mr Blackham said.
Natural Burials applauded the commitment of the council, and in particular Mr Smith, in delivering on the expectations of the local community.
In turn, Mr Smith congratulated his team on their hard work in bringing the idea of natural burials in Taupō to fruition.
"We are all extremely proud to have successfully provided this important choice," he said.
Deputy mayor Christine Rankin said the new natural burial zone was a great step forward in giving people in the Taupō district a greater choice. She said when Mr Smith raised the idea of a natural burial area, councillors were unanimously supportive.
A group of Taupō residents had been advocating for natural burials, and more than 50 people turned up to view the prepared site recently.
Two of them, Linda McGrogan and Jean Caulton, approached the council last year to ask about the possibility of natural burials. Linda says while the pair anticipated they might have a battle on their hands, they found Mr Smith had already begun early planning for a natural burial area.
Linda said the pair were delighted that it had become reality so quickly, said Mr Smith had been "brilliant" and congratulated the council for approving it.
She said people interested in a natural burial had to make a living will or notify their loved ones of their wishes before they died. People interested in the idea could talk to Taupō Funeral Services who had all the relevant information. The cemeteries section of the council website will also be updated.
