Deep tyre tracks have been carved into the grass at Feilding Cemetery after a vehicle was driven across the grounds.
Photos of the damage at the Lethbridge St site showed looping, muddy trenches cut across a large stretch of lawn near the cemetery's headstones, with the tracks stretching across a significant area of the grounds.
Manawatū Mayor Michael Ford said he was disappointed by the damage.
"I am incredibly disappointed to see tyre marks caused by a vehicle driving across the grounds of one of our local cemeteries," he told 1News.
"Cemeteries are places of remembrance and reflection, and they hold enormous significance for families and our wider community. Seeing the grounds treated in this way is upsetting, particularly for those whose loved ones are laid to rest there."
Ford urged residents to be respectful when visiting the cemetery.
"I ask everyone visiting our cemeteries to please treat these spaces with the care and respect they deserve."
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