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The Woodside Methodist Cemetery
10 Station Road, Manukau City Centre
Bruce Ringer
Abstract: The history of the Woodside Methodist Cemetery. Covers the early history of the cemetery, its closure in 1975 and redevelopment as a closed cemetery and settlers’ memorial, subsequent planning controversies, cemetery records, and the fate of the old tombstones.
In 1975 the old Woodside Methodist cemetery at Wiri was moved slightly southward from its original site to make way for the widening and realignment of Wiri Station Road. The cemetery today stands on the southern side of Wiri Station Road, near the Great South Road/Redoubt Road intersection, outside Rainbow’s End. Bronze letters at the entrance read: WOODSIDE METHODIST CEMETERY ERECTED IN MEMORY OF THE EARLY SETTLERS OF THE DISTRICT.
Some confusion has arisen in the past over the status of the site. It is a closed cemetery, established under the Manukau City Empowering (Woodside Cemetery) Act 1975. It houses a common grave enclosing a number of human remains.
The land on which the cemetery stands was transferred to Manukau City Council by the Methodist Church on condition that it establish an appropriate memorial on the site and ensure its upkeep and maintenance. The empowering act also required the erection of a memorial. The area has thus often been referred to as a ‘Memorial Park’.
In addition to the protection this site has as a closed cemetery in terms of the Burial and Cremation Act 1964, it is zoned as Public Open Space 1 and the cemetery and memorial is listed as a protected building or object in Schedule 6A of the current district plan (2002). The site, the memorial and the surrounds therefore need to be treated with due care and respect.
This paper provides detailed background on the history and development of the cemetery as follows: Sources/ The old Woodside cemetery/ The closure of the cemetery/ The fate of the land/ The fate of the headstones/ The memorial/ The zoning/ Burial records.
Woodside Methodist Cemetery, wall beside entrance on Wiri Station Road (photo: Josie Halpin, Manukau Libraries, 28 February 2008)
Sources
The following information unless otherwise indicated comes from Manukau City Council files (Woodside Methodist Cemetery, 5902/10, 2 vols, A2843-A2844; Wiri Cemetery, Wiri Station Road 10 [Property file]). At the time of writing, the majority of these files are available in hard copy only, and may be consulted by request at Manukau City Council archives (Box no. 5002290823).
The additional published sources cited below may be obtained if required from the Manukau Libraries Research Library.
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