Burial
Burial may be preferred due to family tradition, faith or because it just feels right
There are beautiful cemeteries around Wellington City. For burial, the deceased is placed in a casket or on a shroud board and buried in a plot which has to be purchased from a cemetery.
The exception is if you own a family plot with enough space for another casket, or if you have an urupā or family cemetery.
Burial plots
You can purchase a plot for a casket burial at Whenua Tapu, Makara or Akatarawa cemeteries. Karori Cemetery is closed for casket burials, unless you already have a family plot there which still has room for a casket or an ashes urn.
The cemeteries are divided into religious (“denominational”) sections such as Roman Catholic, Progressive Jewish, Greek Orthodox and Poon Fah, as well as the Returned Services section and “Public” section which can be used by anyone.
There are ashes plots available for the burial of urns at all four cemeteries. Read more about ashes burials.
To read more about what can happen at a burial, read our article.
Graveside services
With most burials there is a full funeral service elsewhere and then a regathering at the cemetery for any further prayers, readings or music
However, for some people (especially for a natural burial) an outdoor service feels right.
As with a cremation, the burial is booked through the cemetery office, and the particular cemetery’s booking system and fees will apply.
How it works
At the cemetery we will need some pallbearers, which is usually six people. If there aren’t six people among the graveside gathering who are able to pallbear, Mary or Stu and the cemetery staff can assist.
Once the service, of whatever type and length, is complete, there are some options. Family and friends may opt to “backfill”, which means using spades to add earth on top of the casket, to close the plot. Sometimes this is more of a symbolic action, using a hand trowel; on other occasions, people will take off their jackets and really get to work. If you think backfilling would be a good part of the service, we just need to alert the cemetery staff so they can have spades available. If backfilling doesn’t feel quite right, the cemetery team will wait until family have dispersed and then will complete that work for us.
Council cemeteries are a community space and you are more than welcome to stay at the graveside for as long as feels right to you – as long as you’re aware that the cemetery staff will need to complete their work. You can bring dogs to a graveside service if they are kept on a leash.
Ashes burials
Ashes plots are available for purchase at the cemeteries, and most can fit two (or more) ashes urns.
Sometimes if there is a family plot with no space for a further casket burial, people will opt for cremation and then having their urn added to that family plot.
This will depend on the space and geography; we’ll work with the cemetery team to find out what is possible.
What to do when someone dies
Whether a death is expected or not, it’s normal to feel shock. You don’t have to rush. Give us a call and we’ll talk you through what happens next.
We’ll arrange to bring your loved one into our care and make a time to sit down with you. Our expert Funeral Directors will guide you through the many decisions that need to be made after a death.