Porirua City Council is reaching out to the public to help honour the memory of more than 1,800 former Porirua Hospital patients buried in unmarked graves.
The initiative, part of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care, involves a nationwide effort to install headstones for deceased patients who were buried without markers. In Porirua, these graves are located at Porirua and Whenua Tapu Cemeteries.
Opened in 1887 as the Porirua Lunatic Asylum and later renamed Porirua Hospital, the institution became one of New Zealand’s largest, housing over 2,000 patients and staff at its peak in the 1960s. It began closing in the 1980s as mental health care moved into community settings, with its final closure occurring in the 1990s.
Cemeteries Manager Daniel Chrisp said the council is now working to restore “mana and dignity” to the individuals who died in the hospital’s care.
“This project is a significant and meaningful one to the Porirua and Wellington communities,” Chrisp said. “The hospital was once the biggest asylum in the country and working towards naming every single patient buried with us is a huge step.”
The council has released a list of names of those known to be hospital patients and buried without headstones. They are encouraging anyone who recognises a family member’s name to get in touch.
Community members can view the list at www.poriruacity.govt.nz/cemeteries-project and contact the council at [email protected] with any information.