Masterton's Riverside Cemetery. Photo: LDR / Emily Ireland
Dying is proving to be a pricey task, with the Work and Income Funeral grant failing to cover burial costs in Masterton.
According to Masterton District Council's proposed fees and charges for the year ending 30 June 2025, it will cost $3230 for a plot and urban interment.
Meanwhile, the funeral grant is $2559.
Burial costs are just one change put forward in the council's proposed fees and charges for the coming year as part of its Long-Term Plan [LTP] process.
The cost of getting a standard LIM report has jumped from $341 this financial year to $435, and an urgent LIM report would soon set the requester back $625.
Senior housing rents are also set to rise about $20 a week across Masterton District Council's portfolio, which includes Panama Village, Laurent Place, Bodmin Flats and Truro Flats.
A new charge set to be introduced in the 2024-25 year is a fee to use the Wairarapa Archive.
It would be free for the first 30 minutes and then $30 for each 30 minutes after.
Supporting documentation for the council's LTP said that "in the interests of public access, charges to researchers are minimal".
"Recoveries are approximately 5 percent of costs," the document said.
The Wairarapa Archive is located in Masterton District and provides a service to the whole of the Wairarapa, but no funding was provided by the other Wairarapa councils.
The possibility of other Wairarapa councils contributing to the cost of running the archive is to be explored, the document said.
There were no changes to parking fines year-on-year, and dog registration fees for the coming financial year would be set separately in May.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.