Rest in Pieces? -
Northern Advocate - 14th December 2011
Recent articles in relation to headstones being found
on Onerahi foreshore really makes one wonder what has
become of our standards.
Many in our district and nationwide have fought over
the years for burial sites to be in a condition that allows peace and dignity
for such a sacred and spiritual place.
Our council has acknowledged a sad history surrounding
conditions at our cemeteries in the past and expressed the need to put this
right.
Over the years headstones have been removed from
cemeteries such as Mission Ground Cemetery on Selwyn Avenue and later
headstones were removed at Kioreroa Cemetery.
With regards to these and other cemeteries,
where headstones have been removed, one would hope that accurate records of
everyone that was buried at the cemetery have been preserved for history’s
sake.
Apparently, there have been injustices
associated with historical cemeteries in the district that have resulted in
Maori exhuming their ancestors from cemeteries and moving the remains to safer
places.
The dumping of removed headstones in various
dump sites by previous councils was extremely insensitive and culturally
offensive.
Now, by chance, local iwi
have found a site where headstones have been dumped and used for fill on the
foreshore at Onerahi.
Council acknowledges that it has been aware of
this issue for some time, but what has it done?
Further investigation needs to take place to
find out where these headstones come from, whose they are and what will be done
to rectify the situation.
I know if the sanctuary of my passed relatives
had been changed, I sure as, would not be happy. What has happened to ‘Rest in Peace’ or has council it changed to ‘rest in pieces’?
Warren Slater
Maunu
(items
abridged in italics for Northern
Advocate copy)