Territorial Local Authorities
We have made significant progress in contacting all TLAs to encourage them to value the historic cemeteries in their area, begin their conservation, and have them listed as heritage assets on their District Plans.

Mount Street Cemetery Wellington top
Ian Bowman has completed most of the Conservation Plan, but is awaiting a contribution regarding landscaping. Hopefully we will have the completed Plan by year end. In the meantime we are considering how to project manage the conservation and landscaping and the funding. Mark Horton, Convener, Mount Street Cemetery Working Group, Wellington

Dunedin top
Using Cemeteries in Education
We have now employed a qualified professional educator who has begun work on the development of a series of web-based education modules for use in schools, which will be available nationwide in 2009. (Enquiries to Ann Trewern at: ann.trewern@stonebow .otago.ac.nz)

Christchurch top
Friends of Linwood Cemetery have just formed and are keen to help with the care and restoration of this large cemetery. (Contact: Anne Holloway, 156 McGregors Road, Bromley)

Banks Peninsula top
Following an enquiry from a genealogist who was trying to trace relatives from an early saw-milling settlement in Hickory Bay and the grave markers recording their drowning and burials, we contacted the landowner of the area who was most helpful. On his land was a pile of stones, he informed us, over which he had been known to drive his farm vehicles. Our interest alerted him to the possibility that these stones may have been grave-markers, and with this in mind he was able to see that there had probably been three stone cairns on the site, and there also appeared to be other grave sites nearby.

Marlborough Sounds top
We have been fortunate to have Peter Whitehead, a resident of Mahau Sound, join our group in the capacity of Field Office for the Marlborough area. There are many small graveyards and lone grave-sites in the Sounds and he will be tasked with generating some interest in their long-term professional conservation.

Dunedin’s Chinese Graves Restoration top
Work is proceeding albeit slowly because of the need to have a Chinese expert decipher the broken stones and supply the monumental masons with the new calligraphy. The photo shows some new stones, in granite this time, in the original locations.