Planning for death in the wake of Aotearoa New Zealand’s changing cultural landscape: A Christchurch case study : A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Planning at Lincoln University

Abstract

Accommodating the dead is a significant challenge in planning our future landscapes. Practices associated with the interment of the dead can be sensitive, as it is both a personal and cultural concern. Culture is commonly defined as an intertwining of human values, evolving from a combination of factors; including religious beliefs, ethnicity and social forms. Culture is changing across Aotearoa New Zealand, as the population diversifies and evolves, and this should be reflected in all landscapes. This dissertation investigates what this changing cultural landscape looks like in relation to interment planning. This research has explored historic interment practices in Aotearoa New Zealand and overseas; through a literature review, local interviews with interment professionals and cultural representatives, and site visits. There is a focus on the Christchurch context as a site-specific case study. It explores the current spatial representation of these interment practices, and what this could look like in the future. To develop future scenarios for Christchurch’s interment landscapes a range of factors were analysed: population, religious, and ethnic trend data; current capacity of interment sites; needs of cultural groups. Areas of compatibility and conflict have been identified through plotting core interment needs of identified cultural groups and current trends. The research reveals the need to develop sites which can be sufficiently flexible to accommodate a range of cultural needs.