Manukau Memorial Gardens (Manukau Cemetery) — Local services in Ōtara-Papatoetoe

Unfortunately we did not have a good experience having a funeral at the gardens. Firstly, it took over an hour to try and get someone on the phone to make a booking. Making the booking only took a few minutes so I don’t know why there had to be such a long wait. We eventually booked the funeral in but then were rung back in the afternoon to be told that the lounge wasn’t actually available for after the service and we would have to make alternative arrangements. We figured out somewhere to go instead, put a notice in the paper and let everyone know about the funeral. The next day I received a phone call to say they had double booked us completely. You can imagine how stressful that was. We ended up having to change celebrants because she couldn’t make the new time (which was a shame because she had done other family funerals and we really liked her) and had to spend the day ringing people to let them know. Not the best way to spend your time grieving. We had planned for the coffin to be lowered at the end of the funeral and were told this was ok. We were told a few minutes before the ceremony that the mechanism was broken. So we had to rush around among the guests trying to organise for people to carry it out. Honestly, the days after someone you love passing are HARD and stressful. Manukau Memorial Gardens made it harder. I don’t know what is going on that is causing their issues but I hope no one else has to go through the stress of...

In 1987 I lay my baby boy to rest in this beautiful cemetary. Shortly after we made a little surround for his grave and filled it with pebbles and put toys and ornaments on top, it looked beautiful and we kept it beautiful. A few other people did much the same. Not long after it was all ripped up and thrown in rubbish skips, this I had to learn through the local paper, we didn't even get asked to remove it. I kind of understood as they said it was a lawn cemetary and they could not mow it with this on top. I have visited many times and it was usually kept nice. However today I visited and was gutted, actually devestated as it looked like a dump. The grass looked like it hadn't been mowed for month's, the weeds covered his plaque and there was crosses strewn around the long grass and broken toys and ornament strewn all over the place. So upsetting to see, please know that people visit these graves and are left so upset when they...

Don’t get me started on this place! You pay a few thousands to lay your loved one to rest on top of that you have to worry about their grave been sabotaged by the groundsmen, we have had broken lights more then 3 times, crosses broken next to us, don’t get me started on the over grown grass, the rudest groundsmen staff that get paid to wreck the grounds, absolutely shocking at how disrespectful the males are that drive on their buggy ripping at people’s graves decorations etc no remorse whatsoever for our people let alone our loved ones. When I rang and left a complaint at the office you go round and round in circles they are just as careless I wonder how they would feel if somebody done it to there family members. They don’t care about our Pacifica people you go outside of south Auckland all cemeteries are nicely taken care of grass clean...