The cost of cremation will be a little higher for Eastern Bay families over the next month as Whakatāne Crematorium undergoes an $820,000 upgrade.

The crematorium and chapel at Hillcrest Cemetery, pictured, will be closed for the next five weeks as the cremator equipment is replaced, meaning cremations will require travel to Rotorua or Tauranga.

Gateway Funeral Services funeral director Dean Weber said the business had been notified about the closure only in mid-May.

“We had heard rumblings about the cremator being replaced for some time,” Weber said.

“Our plan is to use Rotorua [Crematorium] as the primary option during the closure as it is more closely priced to the current Whakatāne price.

“There will be a small add on for the travelling expenses, but we are trying to mitigate that as much as we are able to.”

He said the Rotorua facility had one cremator able to carry out four cremations a day, so scheduling of cremations was likely to be the biggest concern.

A second option was the Tauranga facility, which had two cremators but was significantly more expensive.

The cost of a cremation in Whakatāne is $687 for adults, with a proposed increase to $700 from the new financial year beginning July 1. In Rotorua, it is $630, going up to $647, but funeral directors will need to charge a travel fee on top of that. In Tauranga, the fee is $979.

“The add-on in petrol, time and vehicles in getting over to Rotorua is still less than the cremation fee alone in Tauranga,” Weber said.

There is, however, a proposal before Tauranga City Council to reduce this to $777 in the upcoming financial year to better reflect the actual cost of the service.

People may also have a longer wait to receive ashes after the cremation.

“Getting ashes back locally is awesome. The council bring them to us the following morning. Now, we can fill out the paperwork for a family representative to go over there to collect them, or they can wait for our next trip over for us to bring them back,” he said.

“In the end it will be better for the Eastern Bay, but there is going to be some cost in the short term.”

Willetts Funeral Services owner and general manager Steve Butler said it would add a few hundred dollars to the price of cremation.

“Obviously, it will affect [families] but about 16 years ago, that was the norm. Before we had the cremator here, we used to go to Rotorua or Tauranga crematoriums. So, it’s just reverting back to what we had before.”

Whakatāne District Council installed the crematorium 16 years ago and it is the only facility in the Eastern Bay for cremations.

The council’s open spaces operations manager Ian Molony said the upgrade was about meeting new environmental standards.

Recent updates to the Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s Natural Resources Plan required the district council to apply for a consent for Discharge to Air, which was granted in August 2024.

“Due to the age of the cremator, we have been unable to meet some of the conditions since, particularly in relation to monitoring and reporting of operational parameters.”

The council awarded the tender to Australian engineering company Austeng on December 19 to replace the cremator.

Council staff said the new cremator would cost $820,000, funded through the depreciation-renewals budget.

It is designed to meet stringent United Kingdom guidelines, internationally recognised as best practice for cremator emissions.

It is also compatible for use with a hydrogen-gas mixture once this becomes available.

“The new cremator will bring environmental improvements around air quality and run more efficiently than its predecessor once fully operational,” Molony said.

The replacement is a lengthy process, requiring decommissioning of the existing cremator, and the new cremator, which will weigh several tonnes, being craned into place. Fire-resistant brickwork, which needs time to cure and be tested, will be laid.

The facility is expected to reopen around mid-July, although this could be subject to minor changes due to shipping or delays.

Noise from the work will require the adjoining chapel to be closed.

Molony acknowledged the important role the crematorium held in farewelling loved ones.

“We recognise that there will be impacts to those who will require these services during this period and thank them for their understanding as we carry out this necessary replacement.”