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Headstones and plaques

Apply for a permit

A permit is required from Waipā District Council prior to the erection of any memorial, headstone or plaque. You can work with a stonemason to personalise a headstone or plaque to honour a loved one. The stonemason must ensure any memorial complies with our guidelines around size, design, material and installation.

All work and installation must be carried out by a qualified monument-installer, preferably a member of the Master Monumental Masons Association.

The family of the deceased are responsible for maintaining the memorial in good condition. Council does not accept responsibility for damage or vandalism to monuments.

Apply online: Permit to install or work on a headstone/plaque

Download: Headstone and Plaque Dimensions (PDF, 522KB)

Materials

Council prefers using permanent and durable materials in the construction of memorials. These materials are not easily damaged or broken and may last more than 50 years.

Recommended materials for monuments include: Granite or other suitably hard stone
Marble
Stainless Steel
Basalt
Andesite
Recommended materials for plaques include:Granite or suitably hard stone
Bronze
Marble
Ceramic
Not permitted:Glass
Timber
Limestone
Sandstone

Any exceptions to the above must be approved first by the authorised officer from Council.

Inscriptions and designs

Under the Cemeteries Bylaw (2013), Section 10.3 offensive language or offensive symbols are prohibited. These may include foul or explicit language, hate speech, gang insignia, inappropriate or explicit images, or images associated with violence or violent groups.

Method of fixing and securing

All monuments and plaques must be installed, removed, or reinstated to the standards set out in the current New Zealand Standards.

Health and safety, contractor expectations

All contractors working on site will observe health and safety guidelines as set out in the Health and Safety at Work Act (2015).

  • The work area must be marked off with a safety barrier or hazard cones.
  • If any headstone or plaque should become loose or unstable Council shall contact the installing contractor to come and re-secure said headstone or plaque.
  • No contractor shall work in a cemetery during an interment/funeral service.
  • All contractors performing work in the cemetery must leave the site in a tidy and safe condition. If the site is not considered to be tidy and safe after work is complete the contractor will be asked to return and tidy the site to acceptable standards.
  • Acceptable standards include:
    • leaving no parts of stone, concrete or other debris on or around work site,
    • leaving the lawn with no extensive damage,
    • reporting and arranging for the repair of any damage caused to any cemetery structure or vegetation.

Monument permit

The purpose of the Monument Permit is to aid Council in the management of cemetery records, to improve the visual amenity of cemeteries and to monitor the condition of monuments and plaques through maintenance and consistent standards.

The permit is to be completed and returned to the Council offices 10 business days before work is due to begin. This will allow processing time and advise of any service(s) that may be scheduled to avoid conflict.

Non compliance

Any new monument or plaque found to be non-compliant or installed without a permit will be subject to an order for removal or repair. This order will be served on the contractor, or in cases where the contractor cannot be identified, the deceased’s next of kin. Council bears no responsibility for costs incurred by an order for removal or remediation.

If a monument or plaque is found to have come loose or otherwise not securely fixed to its base, an order for removal or remediation will be issued to the contractor for action within 30 working days.

Only one structure is permitted on each plot.

Relatives and/or trustees of the deceased are responsible for the ongoing maintenance and repair of the monument

Frequently asked questions

If a headstone is damaged it is the family’s responsibility to have it fixed, and if damage is dangerous for the public, it must be fixed immediately. It is also the family's responsibility to remove any graffiti from headstones, but we will assist with this.

Only in the holes provided. No glass jars please.

Memorials, including headstones, monuments and memorabilia such as flowers and trinkets, are welcome in Waipā cemeteries.

After the burial, the grave is levelled, and turf replaced immediately to keep the cemetery tidy and help with maintenance. Flowers and wreaths on the casket at the time of burial will be laid on top of the grave after it is backfilled. These will remain in place for up to 28 days and then removed and disposed of by Council so that maintenance can be done.

Any objects or flowers placed at the grave site after the 28-day period must be kept within the concrete berm at the head of the grave.

They can be obtained through your funeral director, and are only permitted until the installation of a headstone or plaque.

A new bylaw came into effect on 1 November 2018 and added new permit requirements to help better manage our cemeteries. This ensures that headstones and plaques are appropriate for our standards and guidelines.

While existing headstones and plaques are exempt, the new rules only apply to those installed from 1 November 2018.

Yes, single-depth sites like at Pukerimu Cemetery and Leamington Cemetery can cater for this. Double-depth grave sites are more difficult to access and would be at the discretion of Council.

You will need to submit two different applications, one for each day of work.

Yes, you can. Visit one of our Council offices to change the name.

Council does not purchase back plots, you can transfer the ownership to a third party. Visit one of our Council offices to change the name/ownership.

Council reserves the right to reassign or resell the right of burial on any plot not used for burial after the lapse of 60 years in accordance with section 10(4) of the Burial and Cremation Act 1964.

Pet ashes can be added to a casket with the deceased’s. If a pet's ashes are separate from the human internment, that would be classed as an extra internment. The size limit for a human ash interment would be the same.

The plaque or headstone can have any wording the family want (in line with our Cemeteries bylaws section 10.3) the plaque or headstone needs to be in keeping with Council's headstone and plaque dimensions.

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