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Infrastructure works are underway to support a growing population across Franklin. Ensuring we have enough burial space for local growth is an important part of this.
Recently, Auckland Council confirmed the purchase of a $16 million, 100-hectare site for a cemetery in Karaka. Former chief executive of the Auckland Business Chamber and Karaka resident, Michael Barnett says more could have been done to ensure the community was on board. He writes:
I believe there is something seriously wrong with the way Auckland Council is dealing with the proposed cemetery at Karaka.
We need cemetery space in Franklin. However, council identified the need, identified land, determined it was suitable, made a conditional offer and only then (apparently) came the thought that perhaps the people who live there should be consulted.
That is not consultation. That is decision-making followed by consultation theatre. If council genuinely wanted community input, it should have started the conversation before selecting a site and before putting an offer on the table.
Instead, the community is being asked to close the gate after the horse has already bolted. That matters because, once council has invested in a preferred property and publicly positioned it as the answer to the problem, residents are entitled to wonder whether their views can actually change anything.
What happens if the community presents a better alternative? Will council walk away from its preferred site, or will residents then be told the process has progressed too far?
This is not NIMBYism. The community should have been part of identifying a solution, rather than being invited to comment after one has been presented.
There are alternatives. I believe there are options that could be better, more sustainable and more appropriate. Maybe council will prove these alternatives wrong, but that’s not the point.
The community deserves to be heard and their suggestions should be compared against the council’s preferred option before council reaches the point of no return. That is how democracy is supposed to work.
Consultation should not just be a box to tick. Officials should not be able to say, “we consulted,” after the substantive decision is already made. Real consultation means listening before deciding.
Where was the engagement with the community before council settled on Karaka? Why weren’t local ratepayers asked whether they had ideas or alternatives? Why was the community not brought into the conversation at the beginning?
Karaka residents are not demanding that this cemetery disappears. They are asking to be heard while their views can still make a difference. They are asking council to consider alternatives before locking itself into one solution. They are asking their council representatives and the Franklin Local Board to represent them.
Baker confirms
Franklin Ward Councillor, Andy Baker, says that there will be time for consultation in the near future. In the meantime, he writes:
The decision was whether we purchase around 100ha for a possible new cemetery. We now have to go through a resource consent process, which will probably involve public notification.
However, I had additional recommendations inserted into the decision to purchase, which require staff to involve the community, iwi and the Franklin Local Board in the planning and design as well as taking steps to work with established neighbours including [Te Hihi] school.
Click here to read our previous article with more from Andy Baker.
