We're reviewing our 2015 Cemeteries and Crematoria Bylaw. While the bylaw generally works well, we're proposing some changes.
We want to hear your views on the 10 proposed changes.
Feedback closes 5pm Wednesday 5 March.
Below are the proposed changes, for more information please read the Statement of Proposal.
You can have your say on the form below.
Proposed changes to the bylaw
While most of the rules in the Cemeteries and Crematoria Bylaw 2015 remain consistent in the proposed amended bylaw, these are the proposed changes:
1. Make the document easier to read. Make the requirements clear and easy to understand, reduce repetition and simplify the layout. Some changes will ensure the bylaw remains consistent with other regulation such as the Burial and Cremations Act 1964 (the Act) and removes redundant provisions.
2. Change the way the bylaw refers to public holidays. The proposed change means burials will not occur on any public holiday as defined in the Holidays Act 2003. This aligns with other services that Council provides and makes the bylaw easier to administer.
3. Allow for suspension of burials when ground conditions are not suitable during and after emergency weather events.
4. Provide more specific rules for aesthetic requirements of monuments. To ensure cemeteries are reflective of all their community members and to make it easier for grieving families to plan memorials, we propose to include more specific guidance to inform design criteria.
5. Provide for the creation of a Cemeteries Guide to provide additional guidance and useful information to help interpret requirements of the bylaw if it's required.
6. Provide explicit rules governing physical works in cemeteries. We propose to consolidate this information into the bylaw as it currently sits within a policy, which is out of date. This ensures all key information for management of cemeteries is in one place.
7. Remove the requirement for the payment of an out of district fee for babies under one year old and stillborn babies to be consistent with Council’s current approach to burial fees, due to the sensitive nature of the loss.
8. Remove opening hours of cemeteries from in the bylaw. Instead opening hours will be listed on Council’s website and other accessible forms of communication which will enable the hours to be more flexible and to respond to the needs of the community.
9. Change the rules managing animals in cemeteries. Currently the bylaw prohibits animals in cemeteries at night and requires animals to be under control at other times. We propose to clarify this by - grazing in cemeteries is prohibited unless prior Council permission. Dogs in cemeteries are subject to our Dog Control Bylaw and cemetery staff can request an animal is removed.
10. Specify that cultural supervision of the digging of graves is allowed upon request and under supervision.
