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Schedule 1 - Interments Code of Practice

 

The Council has determined the following Code of Practice for the following cemeteries:
Te Aroha Cemetery
Piako Cemetery (Morrinsville)
Maukoro Cemetery (Tahuna)
Matamata Cemetery
Morrinsville Cemetery

Hours of Operation for all Cemeteries (for burials)
Summer Period - October 1 to 31 March.
10.00am to 4.00pm Monday to Friday
10.00am to 3.00pm Saturday

Other Periods
10.00am to 2.00pm Monday to Friday
10.00am to 3.00pm Saturday

 

Sunday interments, between the hours of 10.00am to 1.00pm shall be permitted, providing the timing has been negotiated and approved by the Contractor. Any hours requested outside of these times shall be at the discretion of Matamata-Piako District Council.


The forms and procedures used for interments are controlled under our quality management system and when they are updated all previous issues of forms and procedures shall be destroyed


Notification of any changes will be made by the quality management expert. Any suggestions for improvement can be made through our quality management system.

 

Application to Inter

An application to inter in the form prescribed by Council shall be filled out by the Funeral Director (preferably) and faxed or handed in to a Matamata-Piako District Council office at least 9 working hours before the burial is to take place. Where a funeral is to be held on a weekend notification shall be no later than 4pm the preceding Thursday.


Working hours for Matamata-Piako District Council offices are defined as those hours between 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, exclusive of Public Holidays

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An Authorised Officer shall check all details, assign the plot and confirm with the Funeral Director if any details need clarification.


Where the application is made by a Funeral Director, the Funeral Director shall be sent the account following normal sundry debtor procedures. Where a person other than a funeral director makes an application then payment shall be required at the time of the application.


Should an application be made on behalf of a poor person or in an instance of proven hardship then forms the Matamata-Piako District Council prescribed forms shall be completed and they shall form part of the application to inter process.


Where information leads to the need to apply for deferment of fees after the interment has been completed, the Matamata-Piako District Council prescribed form shall be completed no later than 20 workings days after committal.

 

Warrant to inter

A Warrant to Inter in the form prescribed by Matamata-Piako District Council shall be completed using the details provided on the prescribed form, including the correct identification of cemetery, plot details, time of arrival at cemetery and any variations e.g. in casket size, in burial details, and be faxed to the contractor. An Authorised Officer shallemail the prescribed form to the contractor at least 8 working hours prior to the time of burial.


The original of the prescribed form shall be sent to the contractor through the internal main system. Part 2 of the original shall be signed off at the completion of the burial and returned to the appropriate Matamata-Piako District Council office.


The contractor shall acknowledge receipt of the warrant and send an acceptance back to the appropriate Matamata-Piako District Council office.

The contractor shall arrange for the digging of the grave and if required, the grave shall be made secure (i.e. that a cover is in place) until the time of the burial.

 

The contractor shall ensure that the grave is prepared at least 2 hours before the burial and that the site is tidy, the mats are out and all grave digging standards, including such requirements as outlined under OSH legislation, are met.


The Funeral Director shall be responsible for removal of the grave cover, the timely setting up and safe operation of the lowering gear.


Should the Funeral Director require additional time for the setting up of the lowering gear, he shall negotiate this time with the contractor.


The Authorised Officer shall be present whilst the funeral party are at the grave site. The contractor shall, at the appropriate time, remove and store the mats and lowering gear and commence back filling the grave. Back filling shall be undertaken in a safe manner observing OSH legislation and current standards.

 

Once the grave is back filled and the burial completed, the Authorised Officer shall forward the completed and signed prescribed form to the appropriate Matamata-Piako District Council office.


Specifically the lowering gear is not the responsibility of the Matamata-Piako District Council Contractor. The setting up and maintenance of this gear is the responsibility of the Funeral Director.

 

Returned Service Association Funerals:

RSA requirements, such as flags etc are to be provided for by the RSA in each area of the district. Any variation from this situation shall be made clear at the time of making the application to inter on the prescribed form. The variation shall then be noted on the Warrant to inter form as a variation.

 

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