The framework for welcoming and accessible spaces to remember loved ones in local cemeteries is due for review.

Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) community services general manager Kenneth Bailey encouraged members of the community to consider proposed changes to council’s existing Cemeteries Bylaw 2017 and share their feedback.

“If you’re interested in how we protect and maintain the ten operational cemeteries across our district, please do take the time to have your say,” he said.

The bylaw is designed to regulate activities within QLDC-owned and operated cemeteries.

Proposed changes include: using the terms ‘inter’ or ‘interment’ instead of ‘burial’; clarification on the restrictions and regulation of promotional activities within cemeteries; and additional wording around the regulation of vehicle use within cemeteries.

The proposed bylaw also includes further detail around the appointment and function of the cemeteries administrator, the sale of plots, the interment of people without means, and the installation and maintenance of monuments and grave structures.

The review of the Cemeteries Bylaw is separate to the Cemeteries Handbook, which was adopted in 2019.

The handbook is an operational document that supports the bylaw by providing guidelines, processes, and fees and charges and it is not being consulted on within the scope of this latest process, Kenneth said.

“However, the community can still provide their feedback through submissions to the bylaw review which will be considered when the handbook is next reviewed.”

Find more information and provide feedback on the draft Cemeteries Bylaw 2023 here.

Copies of these proposals can be viewed at council offices and libraries district-wide.

Submissions will close at 5pm on Monday September 11.

PHOTO: Wānaka App