Unearthing the story behind Wellington's cemeteries

In Pōneke, the story of our cemeteries mirrors the evolution of the city itself and how we've grown, changed, and shaped our communities over time.

Services like Wellington City Archives help bring that history to life, giving us a chance to explore the lives of those who came before us in our city. Visitors will be able to access these archives both in person and online in Te Matapihi ki te Ao Nui when it opens in March 2026. There will be spaces designed to explore knowledge and connections to the people, land, and culture of Wellington.

Read on to learn about the history of Wellington’s cemeteries, an example of the stories you can find within the archives.

Pre-colonial times

In pre-colonial times, Māori buried people of high status close to settlements, then disinterred the bones and placed them in secret locations. Burial sites were tapu (sacred). 

These practices changed in the late 19th century, when urupā or European style cemeteries developed near marae. 

Early European cemeteries

Initially, a large section of public land was turned into the ‘Wellington Public Cemetery’, bordering the edge of town in the 1840s. 

In the early days, it was planned for all burials to take place in the Public Cemetery, but a separate area was set aside for Jewish burials, which led to  discussions around religious affiliations.

The deaths recorded at the time reflected hard times in the settlements, with drowning, consumption and childbirth as the common causes of death. 

Unlike now, where our practice is to mark a grave with a headstone or flowers, the citizens of the new town of Wellington could not afford wooden headboards or picket fences to stop animals from grazing on the land. In addition, while deaths were recorded, the locations of individual grave plots were not listed until the 1850s. 

Following controversy in 1851, the Public Cemetery was split into three areas based on religious affiliation: Bolton Street Cemetery (for Church of England burials), Sydney Street Cemetery (the public one with no religious affiliations) and the Jewish Cemetery. 

Roman Catholic burials took place in a separate area in Mount Cook called the ‘Mount Street Cemetery’. The site, on the hills above the new town of Wellington, was in use until 1891. 

Challenges and developments

With the cemetery bordering the town, population and overcrowding came with fears of disease, particularly as both cemeteries were built on land that sloped down to the town and drainage was poor. 

Sanitation became an issue as early as the 1850s and it only became more prominent as the century progressed. A letter to the editor of the New Zealand Times in 1881 highlighted these concerns, noting the discomfort of witnessing frequent funerals and hearing funeral rites from nearby homes.

As the town grew and those in high ranks began to be buried, the headstones became more elaborate and permanent. Roses became the most popular of flowers to be planted amongst the graves, alongside exotic trees such as oaks and elms from Europe.  

With overcrowding and concerns about health risks at Bolton Street Cemetery, the distant Karori Cemetery was established in 1891. The three town cemeteries closed in 1892, except for burials within existing family plots.

Karori Cemetery

Karori Cemetery became New Zealand's second largest burial ground, covering nearly 40 hectares.

The first significant structure built in 1909  at the cemetery was the sexton’s cottage, an elegant villa with unusual, pointed arch windows, which sat on the site of the present cemetery office until the 1950s.

It is said to have been designed by the city engineer or city surveyor, who also designed the cemetery shelter.

Karori Cemetery's crematorium was New Zealand's first crematorium and is the oldest in Australasia, opening in 1909. It carries out about 450 cremations a year. Wellington architect John Sydney Swan initially proposed a design for the building, but the department declined the build as the building was wooden.

The brick building was then designed by the City Engineers Department. Six of the chapel windows were later replaced with stained glass windows designed and made in the An Tur Gloine (Tower of Glass) factory in Dublin. 

All o f the windows were donated by Wellington Harbour Board Engineer William Ferguson with five of them dedicated to the memory of a family member, but the sixth window ‘Gethsemane’ is a memorial to James MacRae and Percival Parr.  

This traditional burial ground is divided into sections with separate areas for people of different religious affiliations and is steeped with history. 

Some notable sites are the services cemetery that was established in 1921 for the armed forces, and a memorial for the 151 people who died in the Tangiwai bridge train derailment on Christmas Eve in 1953. 

The only plots available now at Karori Cemetery are pre-purchased ash or family plots. Makara Cemetery became Wellington's main cemetery in 1965.

Current day practices 

In the late 20th century, Wellington City Council came to recognise that different cultures had their own rules about burial and visits to graves. Māori consider that urupā (burial grounds) or cemeteries are tapu (sacred) and that tapu is removed by washing hands on departure. Water is now available in most cemeteries. 

Graves can now be prepared in ways that are consistent with Muslim beliefs and practices. For Māori and those of the Russian Orthodox faith, the unveiling of a memorial headstone a year after a death is a very important ritual.

The Ngā Iwi o Te Motu Urupā at Mākara Cemetery is available for burial of people of Māori whakapapa (descent), partners and whāngai, or any person who has an affinity with the Māori culture. Taranaki Whānui own and manage the Opau Urupā, which is on Mākara Road, beyond the village. The Council assists the whānui on its management.

As the Council is responsible for the Bolton Street Cemetery, Karori Cemetery and Mākara Cemetery, we hold records including registers, indexes and paperwork created and retained during cemetery operation. These include details of the deceased and their family as well as burial plots and cremation information through the Wellington City Archives.

When Te Matapihi reopens in March 2026 it will once again be an integral part of the beating heart and life of our capital city.