As part of the Abuse in Care inquiry, the Royal Commission recommended the Government appoint and fund an independent advisory group to investigate potential unmarked graves at the sites of psychiatric hospitals and social welfare institutions.
One of those sites is Sydenham Cemetery in Christchurch, where up to one thousand patients from Sunnyside Hospital are thought to have their remains in unmarked graves.
The local Community Board has now asked for Government support to identify those graves and ultimately memorialise the former patients.
Board member for Cashmere Keir Leslie talks to Emile Donovan about the situation.
Sunnyside Hospital in Christchurch, in 1977. Photo: Supplied / Kevin Hill, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
