Gisborne District Council maintain a website with online burial records and photographs of headstones for the 12 public cemeteries they maintain, and it can be accessed at:
http://www.gdc.govt.nz/online-cemetery-record-search/

The Gisborne District is home to 12 public Cemeteries and a number of Urupa (private Maori burial grounds):

Hinekopeka Urupa (Tikapa)
Makaraka
Matahiia
Motu
Ormond
Patutahi
Pouawa Urupa
Rakauroa
Ruatoria
Taruheru - this cemetery
Te Araroa
Te Puia
Tokomaru Bay
Tokomaru Bay Urupa
Tolaga Bay
Blue Waters Urupa (Tolaga Bay Maori Cemetery)
Whangara Urupa
Waerenga A Hika Urupa

Gisborne City has two main public cemeteries, Makaraka Cemetery also known as Houhoupiko Cemetery which is now closed, replaced by the adjoining Taruheru Cemetery which opened in 1915 and continues to be the main cemetery for Gisborne burials.

Taruheru Cemetery comprises 15 hectares of land and is maintained to a high standard by Gisborne District Council.
Past Cemetery Sextons include:
William Fleming 1920-1926
Joseph John Jeffs 1926-1947
Merle Pascoe 1947-1950

General Information

Gisborne is a beach city, surrounded by some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. It located on the East Coast of the North Island of New Zealand within the Gisborne District. Initially the area was named Tūranga-nui-a-Kiwa by the Maori and with the translation of "Great standing place of Kiwa". It is believed to be the site where the great navigator Kiwa landed on his voyage from Hawaiki sometime between 1250 and 1300.

Turanga was renamed in 1870 to Gisborne after the Colonial Secretary William Gisborne, the thinking at the time may have been that nearby Tauranga and Turanga shared names that were too similar.

The Englishman Captain Cook sighted New Zealand in 1769 on his return from Tahiti, and his first landing was in Gisborne on the beautiful Kaiti Beach. His crews first contact with the indigenous Maori people was tragic. As the Maori warriors brandished weapons threatening the sailors guarding the boats of the landing party, the English sailors opened fire killing one of the Maori warriors. Further interactions resulted in the deaths of several Maori warriors, at which point Captain Cook decided it was prudent to leave the area. Having not had the opportunity to collect water, food, or wood, Captain Cook named the area Poverty Bay.

The area was settled by the Europeans but maintains a large population of Maoris. The main iwi or tribes of the East Coast Tairawhiti District are Te Aitanga-a-Mahaki iwi from the Gisborne, Te Karaka, Whatatutu, Puha, Ngatapa, Matawai, and Patutahi areas, the Rongowhakaata iwi from the Gisborne, Matawhero, and Manutuke areas, the Ngai Tamanuhiri iwi from the Muriwai and Maraetaha areas, the Ngati Oneone iwi from the Kaiti, Wainui, and Okitu areas, the Ngati Konohi iwi from the Whangara-mai-tawhiti, Pouawa, and Pakarae areas, the Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti iwi from the Tolaga Bay, Waihau Bay, Anaura Bay, and Mangatuna areas, and the Ngati Porou iwi from Te Toka-a-Taiau to Potikirua.

The Gisborne economy has thrived with a base of agriculture and horticulture. The temperate climate was conducive to growing of vegetables, fruit, and crops; fields of barley and maize were common. Sheep farming supported the Taruheru and Kaiti Freezing Works from the late 1800's and wool and frozen sheep carcasses were shipped to England. Drovers collected sheep and cattle on their way to join the train line taking them to the cattle and sheep yards for auction.

Watties became established in Gisborne, the canning business supported by the abundant fruit and vegetables that flourished in the fertile land. An extensive Forestry industry developed, and Gisborne Harbour became an International Port.

For many decades Gisborne thrived as a booming centre, however geographically Gisborne was almost a bottle neck because of the Wioeka Gorge, making it difficult to transport goods out of Gisborne. Eventually Watties moved to Auckland and the Freezing Works closed down in 1994 when liquidators moved in. Today the main industries are tourism, horticulture, wineries, farming, and forestry

The area name was changed from Poverty Bay to Gisborne District around 2000 when Gisborne was a tourist hotspot being the first city in the world to witness the sunrise of the first millenium.