Collective Submission from Tauranga Funeral Homes

Re: Proposed User Fees and Charges – 2025 Annual Plan To: Tauranga City Council

We, the undersigned funeral homes operating within Tauranga City and the Western Bay of Plenty, submit the following feedback in response to the proposed changes to cemetery and cremation-related fees outlined on pages 31–33 of the Draft 2025/26 User Fees and Charges.

We appreciate the opportunity to provide input and respectfully raise the following concerns:

1. Removal of the 10% Funeral Director Discount

The proposed removal of the long-standing 10% discount for funeral directors is a significant concern. As funeral homes, we are required to pay Council accounts in full, regardless of when—or if—payment is received from the estate or next of kin (NOK). Since funeral accounts are regularly settled through lawyers from deceased estates, which is a process that takes time, families may not have immediate access to funds. This places the full credit risk on us, often leaving us to carry the debt for weeks or months without any guarantee of repayment.

We would appreciate clarification from Council on what the process would look like if this discount were to be removed. Would Council begin invoicing families directly? If so, how would this affect the timing of cremations or burials? Would services be delayed until payment is received?

Families are already navigating a complex and emotional time, and part of our professional role is to simplify that experience by managing all disbursements on their behalf. The 10% discount has long acknowledged the risk and administration involved in this process. Removing it without a clear alternative feels unjustified.

If Council is looking to restructure this arrangement, we ask that options such as a tiered discount system be explored. For example, discounts could be retained for funeral homes based on payment promptness or an ongoing service agreement with Council.

This approach would help preserve a collaborative and mutually beneficial working relationship while encouraging efficiency and reliability.

We strongly encourage Council to retain the discount or engage directly with the funeral sector to find a fair and workable alternative.

2. Introduction of $200 Same-Day Cremation and Processing Fee

We seek clarification on the rationale behind the proposed $200 fee for same-day cremation and processing. The justification given is to cover additional staffing costs, yet from our experience and understanding, same-day cremations do not typically require additional staff to be called in. These cremations are often scheduled into available time slots to increase the efficiency and utilisation of the cremator, filling gaps in the day rather than creating extra workload.

Same-day cremations are often chosen by families to honour the wishes of the deceased or to minimise costs, such as avoiding the expense of an additional night at the funeral home. Adding a fee in these circumstances unfairly penalises families during what is already a difficult time.

Given these realities, we strongly oppose the introduction of this fee and request that it be removed entirely.

3. Non-Resident Burial Fee – $1,030

We continue to oppose this fee and refer Council to our previous communications with Warren Aitkin, Christopher Barker and Andrew Graham over the past year regarding this matter (see attached emails).

While we understand the intent behind a Non-Resident Fee—particularly for individuals from farther afield, such as Auckland—our concern lies primarily with how this fee affects residents of the Western Bay of Plenty District.

It seems inequitable to apply the full non-resident fee to individuals who live just beyond the Tauranga City boundary. For example, someone living only a short distance up Pyes Pa Road may be forced to consider a more distant Western Bay cemetery, rather than using a facility that is closer, familiar, and more accessible to their family. This undermines the compassionate principle of choosing a resting place that allows loved ones to visit easily and often.

While these residents may not pay rates directly to TCC, they regularly contribute to the local economy—paying for parking, shopping, using services, and attending events—thereby indirectly supporting Council revenue. Additionally, TCC benefits from certain provisions within WBOPD jurisdiction, such as water infrastructure. It would appear TCC are not charged rates for the cemetery property but charge WBOPD rates for their council offices. In this regard, TCC and WBOPD appear to have a collaborative relationship, often with benefits weighted toward TCC. We’re hopeful that in this instance, WBOPD residents might benefit as well.

In light of these points, we propose that the Non-Resident Fee only apply to individuals residing outside the Western Bay of Plenty District, rather than strictly outside the Tauranga City Council boundary.

4. Backfilling Fee – $293

The additional fee for families choosing to backfill graves themselves is difficult to justify. Rather than penalising families for participating in a culturally or personally significant act, we suggest Council reviews and adjusts its process to accommodate these requests without additional charges.

For families who choose to backfill, this act provides a sense of closure—both literally and figuratively. Having filled in the grave, they are often seeking to put the final touch on the service and move forward with their grieving process. To later dig up and refill the grave undermines this moment of closure and adds an unnecessary burden, both emotionally and financially.

Given that cemetery staff are often already on-site and waiting, it would make more sense to utilise this time to assist with compacting the soil, thereby eliminating the need to re-dig or refill the plot later. This would be a more efficient and respectful approach, allowing families to leave the cemetery with a sense of completion and peace of mind.

We urge Council to reconsider this fee and explore a more compassionate and practical solution, in line with practices in other cemeteries where we have seen staff assist during family-led backfills by compacting the soil during the process.

5. Public Holiday Fee

The new public holiday fee appears excessive. We understand that operating on a public holiday incurs additional costs, but this fee seems disproportionate.

Furthermore, from our understanding, the cemetery is currently closed on public holidays. If this fee is being introduced, does it mean families will now be able to hold burials or cremations on public holidays if they are willing to pay? This should be clearly stated in the proposal so families and funeral providers can plan accordingly.

Conclusion

As funeral directors, we serve our communities with compassion, professionalism and care. We work closely with grieving families to provide services that are respectful, accessible and timely while also managing the complexity of external disbursements, legal requirements, Council processes and financial risk.

These proposed changes to fees may appear modest on paper, but their cumulative effect is significant. They risk adding stress to grieving families and undermine the long-standing working relationship between our funeral homes and Tauranga City Council.

We understand that operational costs increase over time, and that periodic fee reviews are necessary to reflect inflation and ensure sustainability. However, Tauranga is already among the most expensive regions in New Zealand for both cremation and burial—ranking second-highest nationally for both. Adding further charges in this context feels excessive and unjustified, especially for services that often involve families in distress and under time pressure.

At the heart of this submission is a plea for fairness and compassion. Grieving families should not be expected to carry the burden of addressing the city’s financial pressures, which is why we urge Council to reconsider these increases and newly introduced fees.

Sincerely, Kiri Randall, General Manager Legacy Funerals   

Oliver Marriner, General Manager Hope Family Funerals                     Kylie Sprague, General Manager Elliots Funeral Home

Alistair Black, General Manager Bay Cremation Care

Carla Turner, Owner Simply Funerals and Waihi Funeral Services

Chris Andrews, Owner Jones and Co Funeral Services