Liquefying of corpses could be on its way

Water cremations – dissolving a body in a liquid, leaving just bone fragments – could become possible in New Zealand under proposed changes to the law.

The Ministry of Health opened consultation yesterday on modernising New Zealand’s laws around death, burial and funerals, looking at burial and cemetery management, the funeral industry and potential new methods of body disposal.

The review said there was an increasing demand for natural burials, ‘‘do-ityourself’’ funerals or other non-traditional approaches.

One possibility outlined was water cremation, or alkaline hydrolysis – using rapidly heated alkaline solution to dissolve a body.

The move follows a Law Commission report that found the Burial and Cremation Act (1964) ‘‘outdated’’, ‘‘overly specific’’ and not fit for modern New Zealand.

The wording of the current laws made it difficult to respond to trends impacting post-death decisions, such as differences in family relationships, gender and sexuality, the commission found in 2015.

The public, industry and stakeholders are now able to have their say on the Government’s response to the findings, including if they were aware of any methods of body disposal that could be made available in New Zealand.

Earlier this year, a Christchurch company announced plans to import a water cremation machine, touted as a more environmentally friendly and sustainable method than burial or cremation.

Water cremation was legal in Canada and the United States, but our law was unclear, the review said.

There were no systems to assess the safety of potential new body disposal methods, and no protections to preserve the dignity of the deceased, it said.

This raised questions about whether providers of new methods of body disposal could be liable for prosecution.

The ministry also proposed changes to the way the death certification process was carried out and the way the funeral services industry was regulated.

Under the current law, there was ‘‘limited’’ protection or recourse available for people who were unhappy with the funeral service they received, the review said.

People were asked whether they thought funeral directors and embalmers should be registered and regulated by the government, and if it should be compulsory to inform consumers about the costs of funeral services.

Consultation would help develop ‘‘modern, fit-for-purpose legislation that meets the needs of people living and dying in New Zealand’’, the ministry’s director of public health, Dr Caroline McElnay, said.

‘‘Everyone will be affected by laws relating to death, funerals, burials and cremation, so it’s important people tell us what they think these laws should cover.’’

Consultation is open until February 28, 2020.