Some of NZ's 4000 unmarked graves being reconnected to families
Some of 4000 unmarked graves around Aotearoa are finally being linked to family members after the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.
Specifically, these were unmarked graves linked to psychiatric hospitals in Tokanui, Porirua, Christchurch, Hokitika and Waitati.
Porirua cemetery alone held more than 1800.
Liz Wade's great, great grandfather John Douglass was one of those buried there without a headstone.
'It doesn't feel right to me to just to have left him there,' she told 1News. 'He just seemed to have disappeared.'
ADVERTISEMENT
Her recent research of records suggests, 'it must have been a case of dementia and blindness and old age that caused his family to have him sent to the Porirua asylum, he was terribly unwell'.
The Government has allocated up to $50,000 to each council to memorialise unmarked graves.
Porirua recently released a list of names of the dead to find families. Nearly 70 relatives have contacted the council in the last month many others were yet to be heard from.
'To do a significant and meaningful memorial for the families and for the community is going to cost a lot more than that [$50,000] to put on every single name, 1800 names and so we will be pushing for the government to give us more money,' Porirua cemeteries manager Daniel Chrisp said.
In Christchurch's Sydenham Cemetery, more than 760 were buried under bare grassed areas – mostly former Sunnyside mental hospital patients.
Cashmere Community Board member Keir Leslie told 1News: 'A lot of the people who were buried here were older people who were suffering from mental health issues and that was really stigmatised.'
Despite unmarked graves being often unknown in Aotearoa, they have received international attention.
ADVERTISEMENT
Canada's report on more than 4000 unmarked graves of children at residential schools was released late last year, with the report referencing the thousands of unmarked graves here in New Zealand.
It cited the fact New Zealand been told twice by the Royal Commission to undertake an independent investigation, including "an independent advisory group to investigate potential unmarked graves and urupā at the sites of former psychiatric and psychopaedic hospitals, social welfare institutions or other relevant sites".
But Minister Erica Stanford's office said there was no Budget 2025 money for that, although councils could use some of their $50,000 allocation to try to investigate that themselves.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scoop
3 hours ago
- Scoop
Crown Manager Appointed To Drive Delivery Of New Dunedin Hospital
Hon Simeon Brown Minister of Health Health Minister Simeon Brown has today announced the appointment of a Crown manager to oversee the delivery of the New Dunedin Hospital Inpatient Building, reinforcing the Government's commitment to ensuring the project is delivered successfully. 'In late January, I confirmed the Government's commitment to building the New Dunedin Hospital on the former Cadbury site – providing certainty to the people of Dunedin and the wider Otago and Southland regions,' Mr Brown says. 'As part of that commitment, we are putting strong leadership in place to drive the next stage of this project. I'm pleased to announce the appointment of Evan Davies as Crown manager for the inpatient building project.' Mr Davies will lead the delivery of the inpatient facility, including confirming the procurement approach and finalising the construction contract. He will work closely with Health New Zealand to ensure alignment with the broader New Dunedin Hospital programme. It will also enable Health New Zealand to focus on the many other infrastructure work programmes currently underway. 'Mr Davies brings over 30 years of senior leadership experience and a proven track record in delivering large-scale infrastructure projects, particularly in the health sector. 'His appointment reflects the importance of this project to the Government. I'm confident he will bring the capability, oversight, and momentum needed to see it through. 'This Government has committed a record $1.88 billion to the New Dunedin Hospital, making it the largest health infrastructure investment in New Zealand's history. 'That level of investment reflects our commitment to providing a modern, fit-for-purpose hospital that meets the needs of future generations. 'This step will help ensure the project remains on track, and that we deliver a world-class facility providing timely, high-quality care in Dunedin,' Mr Brown says. Note: Health New Zealand supports the appointment of a Crown manager to oversee delivery of the New Dunedin Hospital Inpatient Building. Contract negotiations have continued to progress alongside the appointment process. Pile capping is set to begin in the coming weeks, with excavators already on site and preparations well underway. The Request for Proposals (RFP) for the substructure works closes this Thursday, with construction scheduled to commence later this year. Evan Davies Evan Davies has multi-sector knowledge and has held a diverse range of senior leadership roles and over the last 30 years. He is the former Managing Director of Todd Property, and the current Chief Executive Officer of Todd Capital. In these roles he has overseen major development proposals from land acquisition, plan changes, consenting, design, earthworks, and construction. Mr Davies was the Chair of the of the Christchurch Hospital Redevelopment Partnership Group, (2012 – 2022). Evan also has exceptional industry knowledge, contact networks and leadership experience in the property development and construction sectors.
Scoop
3 hours ago
- Scoop
Cancellation Of Health Charter A Giant Step Backwards For Health And Community Support Workers
Hard on the heels of the cancellation of pay equity claims for thousands of hospital, health and community support workers, the Government's announcement today that they're dropping the Te Mauri o Rongo Health Charter is another callous twist of the knife, the PSA says. Minister Simeon Brown's suite of changes to the Pae Ora Act will see, among other things, a repeal of the Te Mauri o Rongo Health Charter. "The Health Charter set out shared values and principles to shape behaviours for how Te Whatu Ora will support and promote a safe working culture across health, including the funded community sector. Now it's gone, with seemingly nothing to replace it," Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi national secretary, Fleur Fitzsimons, says. "Hospital, health, and community support workers are already under immense strain. They're constantly asked to do more with less. And the high frequency of assaults by patients - particularly for mental health workers - is increasingly, frighteningly normalised." The PSA played a critical role in developing the charter, standing up a working group of health and community support workers shortly after Te Whatu Ora was established. It was developed by the health workforce for the health sector, and is a positive framework to lead and support the health system to develop relationships to achieve pae ora (healthy futures). "A functioning health system must commit to supporting their workforce and empowering them to speak out when their safety is compromised. Otherwise we'll just do what New Zealand has done for years, and drive out our highly trained health workforce to sunnier pastures overseas. "The commitment to a well-trained workforce with access to appropriate resources to develop their skills, as well as workers to provide person and whānau-centred services, are a challenge to this Government. "The coalition continues to show us who and what they value. It's very clear that they're continuing to completely under-value the workers, and especially the women workers, who prop up the system to serve New Zealand whānau when they need it most."
RNZ News
3 hours ago
- RNZ News
Minister Brooke van Velden on possible sick leave cuts for part-timers
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden. Photo: RNZ / Reece Baker A bitter pill is on the way for some employees as the government looks to cut sick day entitlements for part time workers. At the moment everyone get 10 paid days a year. Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden said earlier that she was looking at changes that would make leave proportionate to the number of hours worked. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon told Morning Report he knew it was something Minister Brooke van Velden was looking into. "She looks at a whole raft of workplace relations," Luxon said. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
