Cemetery to get $240k facelift
Calls to improve South Auckland cemeteries has seen the launch of a project which includes new paths and landscaping.
A $240,000 programme of work has been approved for Papakura South Cemetery at Gatland Rd.
The project will include a new scattering terrace, a children’s terrace and improvements to the RSA burial section.
The work will be completed in June.
Manurewa-Papakura ward councillor Daniel Newman says the improvements are much needed.
‘‘Our local cemeteries are revered places. We have a duty of care to the deceased and respect their memory.
‘‘I am particularly pleased with the installation of new paths and seating areas, including in the RSA burial section.
‘‘This is something that family members of the deceased veterans have requested for some time,’’ he says.
Papakura Local Board chairman Brent Catchpole says the work at Gatland Rd is the start of a wider project.
Improvements are also needed in the Papakura Cemetery at Settlement Rd, he says.
‘‘The board is working with council staff to identify workstreams to restore our cemeteries.
‘‘This was a pre-election commitment and the board will back changes that enhance the mana of these special locations.
‘‘Just as we seek to improve our sports fields, playgrounds and esplanade reserves, we also seek to uphold the dignity of our forebears who enjoy their eternal rest in Papakura.’’
Catchpole says the new paths are designed to give better access, particularly for the elderly and disabled.
‘‘Families of those in plots have, over a number of years, been asking the local board to make it easier for them to have access,’’ he says.
Papakura RSA welfare trust former chairman Gary Walker says the improvements ‘‘are very welcome’’.
The cemetery ‘‘hasn’t been as good as it could have been’’ since the introduction of the super-city, Walker says.
Making sure the grass doesn’t get too long and removing old flowers around grave sites are some of the things that need to be checked on constantly, he says.
‘‘Anything they can do to assist that is great.’’