Consultation open
To meet our obligation to provide for the burial of the dead in Christchurch City Council’s cemeteries, we’re making small procedural updates to our Cemeteries Handbook. Our current regulatory framework is narrow in its focus, as it only provides for burials of ashes from flame cremation. The updates provide for ‘ash’ remains from flame cremation and other methods, including water cremation, which is now available in Christchurch.
We have an obligation to provide for the burial of the dead in Christchurch City Council cemeteries under the Burial and Cremation Act 1964.
The Council’s Cemeteries Bylaw 2013 and its associated Cemeteries Handbook 2018 regulate use and activities in our cemeteries.
The Cemeteries Handbook is made under the Bylaw. It contains regulations and information applying to activities and conduct and for the management of cemeteries owned by, or under the administration or management of, the Council. It provides information to assist the smooth running, operation and provision of services in the cemeteries.
The Act specifically defines cremation as “by burning”. When we drafted our Cemeteries Handbook, we linked the definition of ‘ashes’ to cremation, as alternative disposal methods weren’t anticipated at the time.
Water cremation (also known as aquamation, resomation or alkaline hydrolysis) is a method of disposal of human remains and is an alternative to traditional flame cremation.
Families who choose water cremation for their loved ones may wish to bury the remains in one of the Council's cemeteries, so we need to make sure our Handbook provides for this.
Proposed changes
We’re proposing to change the definition of “cremated remains or ashes” in the Cemeteries Handbook, so that it is not restricted to flame cremation, but will also apply to ‘ashes’ from water cremation and any other future method that results in ‘ash-like’ remains.
We’re only updating parts of the Cemeteries Handbook that involve broadening the definition of ashes and a few related updates to support that change. A full review of both the Cemeteries Bylaw and Handbook is planned in 2027/28.
Definition of 'ashes'
The table below shows the current wording, our proposed changes and the reasons for those changes.
| Current wording in the Handbook | Proposed change | Reason | |
Definition of Burial or Interment (page 6) | Burial or Interment –
The burial or depositing of a human body, or urn of ashes resulting from the
cremation of a human body, in a plot or in a vault. | Burial or Interment – The burial or depositing of a human body, or urn of ashes, in a plot or in a vault. | To provide a more encompassing
definition of the burial or interment of the dead. |
Definition of Cremated remains or ashes (page 6) | Cremated remains or ashes – The term used to describe the cremated remains of a human body or animal. | Ash or ashes – Means the remains or ashes of the dead. | To broaden
the definition of ‘ash/ashes’ to include all ‘ash-like’ remains, regardless of
the method used to produce the ashes. |
| Definition
of Cremation (page 6) | Cremation – The reduction to ashes of a dead body by burning. | To be removed | No need to define the term as it is no longer used in the Handbook. |
| Definition of Funeral Director (page 6) | Funeral director – A
person who supervises and conducts the preparation of the deceased for burial
or cremation and directs or arranges the funeral. | Funeral director – Means a person whose business is or includes disposing of bodies. | To broaden definition and to align it with the definition in the Act. |
| Definition of Vault (page 7) | Vault – A structure for the deposit of specially sealed coffins containing a human body, or containers of ashes resulting from the cremation of a human body. | Vault – A structure
for the deposit of specially sealed coffins containing a human body or
containers of ashes. | To broaden
application to include all ash-like remains. |
Guidance on the number of ash urns that may be interred
We're aware that other methods may produce a larger volume of ash remains than traditional flame cremation and therefore may require larger urns. The Handbook specifies how many ash urns may be interred in a plot, but the numbers are based on standard sized urns.
We're proposing the following changes to clarify the meaning of "standard sized urn" and to indicate interment of non-standard sized ash urns could impact on the number of interments available in each plot:
- Add new definition on page 7: Standard sized urn – Means an ashes urn measuring 270mm x 170mm.
- Add new note to Table 1 on pp. 14-15: The number of ash urns indicated above is based on a standard sized urn. If a non-standard sized urn is used, the Cemeteries team should be contacted for guidance on the number of interments that can be made into a specified plot.
- Consequential wording changes in Section 2.7 (p.13) and in Table 1 (pp. 14-15) to indicate where references to urns are standard sized urns.
Read the current Cemeteries Handbook 2018.
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