NORTHLAND

NORTHLAND Urupā and family cemeteries vulnerable

An important aspect of Northland’s heritage is in danger of being lost to development and subdivision.

WORDS AND IMAGES: John O’Hare Urupā and family cemeteries, where generations of tangata whenua and settler families have been laid to rest, are increasingly prone to loss, neglect and damage. “These particular cemeteries are often physically small, sometimes containing only a few graves, but they’re very important,” says our Northland Manager, Bill Edwards.

“Family cemeteries and urupā are located all over the country and are particularly significant here in Northland because they provide a physical link back to the earliest days of settlement in New Zealand for Pākehā and Māori.”

Many of the family plots are located on what were once large landholdings and many have been subdivided. Land use and ownership has changed through time, restricting or prohibiting descendants’ access.

In this context, Taipa couple Charles and Kay Adamson have taken a proactive approach to safeguard the family cemetery where generations of Adamsons have been buried since 1894.

“The cemetery is an important part of our family history – as well as the history of the wider community – and we want to do what we can to preserve it and ensure it is well maintained,” says Charles. The Adamson homestead once sat on 400 acres of land. Charles’ parents, Gerard and Freda, gifted part of their land to local iwi Ngāti Kahu in the 1970s and 1980s, and in years since parts of the original farm have been sold, subdivided and even transferred to Council as Reserve.

The family cemetery is about a kilometre from the original Adamson homestead. Charles and his Australian-based brother Robert have taken steps to ensure that the family will continue to have access to the cemetery. “With all of our family living overseas, however, it’s likely that Kay and I will be the last two family members to be buried in the Adamson family plot,” says Charles. “That has implications for things like the upkeep of headstones and the cemetery itself. Family members will be unable to do this for us so we have to plan now.” The Adamsons have taken a textbook approach to managing their family plot, according to Bill. “Charles and Kay contacted us to get our take on how they should proceed with managing their cemetery, and the sorts of things they may need to consider,” says Bill. “They’ve already succeeded in securing permanent access to the cemetery – which is really important – and so we were able to talk about some of the practicalities of maintenance, which can range from upkeep of fences to keep wandering stock from damaging graves, removal of certain vegetation which in time can also undermine fences and headstones – right through to archaeological considerations. “Often it’s addressing simple things and developing a fit-for-purpose maintenance plan that can prevent small problems becoming big ones. That helps in the long-term survival and preservation of these places.” Many of the issues that the Adamsons are dealing with are the same for Māori, according to our former Director Kaiwhakahaere Tautiaki Wāhi, Mita Harris.

“In many cases urupā are associated with marae, and essentially have much the same status as family plots. Their upkeep is the responsibility of the people who whakapapa back to the marae – not the local council who are responsible for many public cemeteries,” he says. If left unmanaged, family cemeteries can cause significant issues for new land owners, including Government agencies. A recent example is of a private cemetery in Kaeo where ongoing physical damage, particularly from erosion and flooding, was problematic. “Two of the large headstone monuments were moving closer to the edge of the terrace and the surrounding boundary fence of the cemetery had already started to collapse on the southern side of the terrace towards State Highway 10.” In December 2019, the remains of the Spickman and Nisbet settler families were exhumed and subsequently re-interred in Kaeo’s Public Cemetery where there is a memorial to the early Pākehā settlers in the Whangaroa area. “Although the situation was resolved, it highlighted the vulnerability of some private cemeteries to erosion and other natural forces, and the need to plan for the long-term maintenance of these places wherever possible,” says Bill. “There’s no one answer that suits every situation – but there are some broad principles that can contribute to the longterm preservation of these important links to our past." n