New $300k funeral lounge opens

Families will now have a place to gather after funeral services for loved ones at Pyes Pa Cemetery, with the opening of a $300,000 extension today.

The opening of the Tui Lounge comes a year after a request was made to Tauranga City Council to upgrade the 47-year-old chapel.

Tauranga Mayor Stuart Crosby and Cemetery operations team leader Bill Keenan unveil the plaque.

The bagpipes are played for a group of Tauranga City Councillors, funeral directors and Pyes Pa residents at the official opening today.

Stuart says Tauranga City Council was approached by the collective of funeral directors, who expressed concerns the chapel on its own was inadequate – and often too small to hold services.

'There were also no facilities for families to meet after the service.”

The Pyes Pa Memorial Park Chapel was opened on March 4, 1967, by then Mayor David Mitchell. This is the first major extension since 47 years ago and cost $298,195, which includes re-roofing of the chapel.

'It's been well received by the celebrants and funeral directors of the community and will add value to the city and hopefully support families at a time when they really need it.”

Stuart says the project was complete on time and budget.

'It's obviously been a bit of an interesting process for the builders because they obviously had to stop noisy work when a service was being conducted.

'The really good part about it is the design is complimentary to the existing. It's the same shape, same lines; the architects have done a great. You wouldn't even know it's been built 47 years later.”

Cemetery operations team leader Bill Keenan has been involved with the cemetery for about 20 years and says he has had requests from residents for a place to gather since he started there.

The idea of a lounge was put to TCC less than a year ago and Bill says although it happened pretty quickly; it is something that has been long overdue.

'We have to send them [families] elsewhere, you know down to Cobb & Co, or to other places – and the disappointment is that families have been split up.

'In the funeral industry we find a lot of time it [a funeral] is the only time that family members actually get together and so they've got a lot to talk about.

'Over the years we've had some big services here where people have spent up to an hour in the car park just chatting. This way we can offer a full service.”

The name ‘Tui Lounge' refers to a prevalence of Tui birds at the cemetery.

An inside view of the new Tui Lounge.

An outside view of the new Tui Lounge.

You may also like....

0 comments

Leave a Comment


You must be logged in to make a comment.