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'Irresponsible': Tauranga fee hikes increase the cost of dying

Tauranga funeral directors are "appalled" and "extremely disappointed" with council increases to cremation and burial fees, saying they will drive up costs for customers. Tauranga City Council is increasing most of its burial and cremation fees as of July 1. The fees are a new $200 fee for same-day cremations, a $1030 non-resident burial fee for anyone from outside of Tauranga to be buried in a Tauranga cemetery, a new $293 fee for families who want to fill part of a grave themselves, and increasing the public holiday surcharge to $1000. The council would also remove the 10% discount for funeral homes that paid their bills on time. Hope Family Funerals general manager Oliver Marriner said the sector was appalled the new and increased charges were being introduced without any clear data presented to justify them. ADVERTISEMENT Hope Family Funerals, Legacy Funerals and four other funeral directors made a joint submission to the council's 2025/26 Annual Plan expressing their concerns about the fee increases. When that failed to move the council, they wrote asking it to pause the increases until it had engaged with Tauranga funeral homes and had detailed information about the costs involved, Marriner said. The council acknowledged their email, but had not made any 'meaningful contact', he said. 'Implementing new charges without the data to support them is simply irresponsible.' Hope Family Funerals general manager Oliver Marriner. (Source: Supplied) Funerals were already expensive, and increased costs had to be passed on to families, he said. 'At a time when they're already struggling financially, to then be charged all these extra things – it can really add up.' ADVERTISEMENT It could also add to a family's grief if they were unable to honour a loved one's wishes because of the financial burden, Marriner said. 'We work hard to try and keep prices as a funeral home as affordable as we can. It just feels like the cemetery's working against us on that. 'Instead of being a council service, it feels like it's almost a greedy business.' The removal of the discount for funeral homes could mean they needed to increase their fees or have the council invoice families directly, he said. 'It's an additional complicating factor for families who are already under a lot of pressure.' The funeral homes carried the cost and debt of burials or cremations until families paid, and often they were waiting for the money coming from an estate, Marriner said. He wanted clarification from the council to justify the fees so they could explain this to their clients and the community, he said. ADVERTISEMENT The council didn't see the grief of families facing the 'large costs', Marriner said. 'It would be nice to have that acknowledgement from them [council] that they want to work with funeral homes and by doing so, they're really working with the community.' Hope Family Funerals funeral director Eva Wolf said the non-resident burial fee did not make sense. Someone living in Pyes Pā might be just outside the Tauranga border and would need to pay even though they lived a few hundred metres away from the Pyes Pā Memorial Park cemetery, she said. Legacy Funerals general manager Kiri Randall said they understood fees needed to go up to reflect inflation and investments in assets. Tauranga Legacy Funerals general manager Kiri Randall. (Source: Supplied) 'We are extremely disappointed that the council has chosen to move ahead with these specific, poorly considered increases without engaging with the funeral sector.' ADVERTISEMENT 'Significant loss in revenue' Coffin at a funeral. (Source: Tauranga City Council spaces and places manager Alison Law said the council decided to remove the discount for funeral directors because of a 'significant loss in revenue'. The council lost nearly $15,000 from providing the discount in March alone, she said. 'We understand that this change may create some cash flow challenges for funeral directors, and we're committed to working with them individually to find solutions that meet their needs.' The pricing adjustments reflected growing costs of maintaining cemetery facilities, infrastructure, and essential services, Law said. She said the changes were necessary to ensure the council could continue to deliver high standards of care. The non-resident burial fee ensured Pyes Pā Cemetery served Tauranga residents as required by law, Law said. Law said the council could choose to waive the fee in some cases such as if the person lived near the cemetery. ADVERTISEMENT But the council was seeing more requests from places like Ōmokoroa, which were further away, she said. 'We remain committed to supporting families and funeral directors during these times and are open to discussing individual circumstances. 'Where possible, we aim to find compassionate, case-by-case solutions to help families honour their loved ones in a meaningful and respectful way.' The council's 2025/26 Annual Plan, including the fees and charges, would be adopted at a meeting tomorrow. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.