Waitaki District Council has released the details of the complaint they received about Dunedin man Riley Baker's memorial near Shag Point.
It was reported last week the family of Mr Baker was hurt and angry after being told the memorial which consisted of a seat and plaque may have to be removed.
Mr Baker was killed in a crash near the memorial site on August 13, 2016.
Mr Baker's sister said after a meeting with the NZ Transport Agency on Monday the agency staff were adamant the memorial would have to go and they and the family were working out an appropriate place for it to be shifted to.
The memorial had stood for nine months without issue, until Downer - the contractor which managed the land on behalf of the NZTA - contacted Miss Baker, recently to inform her it should not have been allowed and would have to be removed following a single complaint from a member of the public to the council which it then passed on to the NZTA.
A council spokeswoman said a council worker took a complaint from a member of the public regarding the picnic area at the south end of Kaitiki Beach.
The complaint consisted of five parts: the drive through was very potholed, lots of rubbish, overgrown vegetation, dirty toilet – "this is Waitaki District Council responsibility", and the complainant was opposed to the memorial headstone at the site.
The plaque contained Mr Baker's ashes.
The memorial is on NZTA land, well away from the roadside and shrouded by bushes.
Ms Baker said the memorial to her brother had been approved by officials before being installed.
