Western Leader | Saturday, 12 January 2008
Cemetery records at Waikumete may soon be available online.
Burial and cremation details for the rest of Auckland’s large cemeteries can already be viewed on the internet.
But a few problems are holding Waikumete back.
"Some families don’t want dead members’ records online," cemetery manager Daniel Sales says.
"It’s become a very sensitive issue."
More than 70,000 people are buried at Waikumete, one of the biggest cemeteries in the southern hemisphere that has about 5000 visitors a year.
"Many people come looking for information about their geneaology," Mr Sales says.
"And many people are interested in viewing inscriptions on tombstones."
He says a number of people oppose having the records online for various reasons – a black sheep in the family, a tragedy or a murder.
Mr Sales is concerned the matter could become a legal issue for the cemetery.
He says staff are meeting next week to find a solution before proceeding.
The cemetery is able to release information such as names, dates of death, and plot details but not addresses or occupations.
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