Cemetery staff in Porirua say they are heartbroken after a series of burnouts left tyre marks and melted rubber across driveways at Whenua Tapu Cemetery on Monday afternoon.
Porirua City Council said workers spent Tuesday morning scrubbing the damaged areas and clearing loose rubber left behind.
Cemetery manager Daniel Chrisp said the damage was the worst staff had seen at the site.
“This is the worst burnout damage we have seen here,” Chrisp said in a statement.
“As kaitiaki of our loved ones, we’re all heartbroken by this behaviour. Whenua Tapu is your cemetery, an urupā, a sacred place to remember your loved ones. Burnouts have no place within any cemetery grounds.”
Photos released by the council show long black tyre marks across the cemetery driveways.
Council staff say CCTV cameras captured clear images of the vehicles involved. The footage has been passed to police.
The cemetery, on the hills above Porirua, serves families from across the Wellington region and is one of the largest burial grounds in the area.
Council officials are asking anyone with information about the incident to contact police.