Our newest certified funeral director, Hope Family Funerals, now makes natural burials and funerals possible for people living in the Bay of Plenty. We receive a constant stream of inquiries from the BOP for a cemetery to be created in Tauranga, but this has not moved the Council over the past decade or more. Now though, the efforts of Hope Funerals appear to be bearing fruit, as reported by the Bay of Plenty Times and on Sunlive.

According to the report Te Puna-based funeral home Hope Family Funerals said certification by Natural Burials NZ “reflected the team’s dedication to providing families with meaningful choices that aligned with their values and priorities. Natural burials differ from traditional practices by emphasising minimal environmental impact. The process doesn’t involve embalming, which is often used to preserve the body. Instead, the body will stay in its natural state to avoid introducing chemicals into the soil, which will allow the body to break down much faster. [Hope Funerals helped] Helen Kirkham and her siblings [organise] a natural burial for their mother Jen Kirkham in August 2024 at Hillcrest Cemetery in Whakatāne. Hillcrest is currently the only Bay of Plenty site that allows for natural burials.”