Akatarawa Cemetery to be final resting place for Hutt City citizens
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
HUTT CITY Mayor David Ogden and Upper Hutt Mayor Wayne Guppy share a lighter moment at Akatarawa Cemetery on August 19 after the signing of an agreement between the two cities that will provide a final resting place for citizens for the next 100 years.
The agreement ensures that Hutt City residents will have use of the Akatarawa Cemetery long after the Taita Cemetery is full, which is expected to be within two years. Hutt City Council has for several years investigated options for a new cemetery, but no suitable site could be found in the city.
In the deal, a quarter share of the respective councils’ land at the site has been sold to each other, which now makes up a land parcel of 66 hectares capable of being used for burials. The land transfer was necessary because councils need to have some form of legal ownership and control of the land on which a cemetery is operated. Upper Hutt City Council will manage the cemetery.
As part of an upgrade at the site, the councils are considering building a new chapel and crematorium at Akatarawa.
The cemetery has effectively been operating under the spirit of a joint agreement since July 2007. The deal signed on August 19 formalised the arrangements.