Source: Radio New Zealand
An artists impression of a memorial at the Pukekohe Cemetery, to honour the unmarked graves on site. Supplied
Plans to erect a memorial plaque on a rural Auckland cemetery to honour hundreds of unmarked graves – many of whom were Māori babies – are underway, after a design concept was approved.
The 200 unmarked graves at Pukekohe Cemetery – dating from between the 1920s and 1960s – have long been a source of pain to many in the rural South Auckland community.
The decision to build a memorial came in the wake of the publication of Dr Robert Bartholomew’s 2020 book No Māori Allowed, which detailed historic racism in Pukekohe, and the subsequent Reikura Kahi documentary of the same name.
The documentary revealed Māori were barred from public toilets, segregated at the cinema and swimming baths, forced to stand for white bus passengers and barred from schools from 1920 until the early 1960s.
Children, who died from measles, diphtheria, whooping cough and tuberculosis, were buried in unmarked graves.
The project is led by the Pukekohe Cemetery Committee and supported by the Franklin Local Board.
On Tuesday, the committee approved a concept design, designed by Kohae Limited, a Māori-led design practice, to be put through a public consultation in April.
Kohae’s Alistair Toto (Ngati Tamaoho) said it was a heavy kaupapa to be involved in, given the history behind the unmarked graves.
He grew up in Pukekohe North and had whakapapa to some buried there.
“It’s a lot of responsibility, it’s not a thing you take lightly. There’s a lot of expectation and responsibility to advance the kaupapa towards a positive outcome,” Toto said.
The design aimed to acknowledge those buried in unmarked graves, while respecting the whenua and existing burial areas within the cemetery.
The designs incorporated natural elements, planting and passive design principles that responded to the landscape, and provided shade and a contemplative space for remembrance.
It included a sculptural wall and an area of seating for reflection and connection.
“This is something that people are going to see, a physical, tangible manifestation of a lot of events, feelings and emotions.”
There are 200 unmarked graves at Pukekohe Cemetery, many of whom were Māori and children. Supplied
He said a lot of work had already been done by the committee, with the families of those involved, and what they wanted for the memorial.
“Their thoughts and wishes were pretty clear, the immediate priority was acknowledging those that are buried there, in a way that manifests their presence, it gives them some dignity of where they are laying now.”
The design will go for a four-week public consultation before the final design is approved in the middle of the year.
The memorial project is funded through council’s regional Māori Outcomes Fund, with $500,000 earmarked for construction.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
