Funeral directors are calling for an immediate rule change under Covid-19 Alert Level 3, saying that there's no need to limit their gatherings to just 10 people.
At present, gatherings of more than 10 people are prohibited at Alert Level 3, meaning funeral homes have had to make use of live streams and other technologies to allow people to say goodbye to their loved ones.
Edwina Apiata lost her daughter to rheumatic heart disease during lockdown, unable to say goodbye properly.
"She was just beautiful inside and out," she says.
"I just wish the whole family could have been there to give her that proper send off should have had."
Gary Taylor of the Funeral Directors Association saying that change is needed, immediately.
"The way we've dealt with grief for generations is to gather together," he says. "Being able to see other peoples' emotions and feel that.
"Funeral directors are being placed in impossible situations in urupa or cemetery.
"We feel it's about trusting us. Say 'here's size funeral home, a chapel that seats 100 people,' so 25 or 50 people in there can be socially distant, and we can manage them."
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