Renewed calls for Easter trading laws to be scrapped have surfaced again, with Nelsonian and ACT small business spokesperson, Chris Baillie, labelling the laws “archaic”.
“New Zealand’s archaic Easter trading laws are a pain for business owners and consumers alike. It’s time to get rid of them,” Chris says.
He says his Member’s Bill that was read in August last year would have given businesses the choice to trade over Easter weekend.
“The bill looked after workers as it retained the existing employee protections that apply in respect of Easter Sunday and extends these protections to Good Friday. The only reason it didn’t become law is petty politics. But Labour and the Greens didn’t support it."
The bill didn’t pass the first reading.
Trading is restricted on Good Friday and Easter Sunday but in 2016, Parliament passed legislation allowing locals councils to decide whether businesses in their area could open on Easter Sunday.
But even if a business can open at Easter, overarching laws still apply for example, alcohol can only be sold if the customer is having a meal.
There are just three-and-a-half days a year - Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Christmas Day and ANZAC DAY until 1pm - when workers can get a guaranteed break and time with their family and friends.
After the legislation passed in 2016, Nelson City and Tasman District Councils conducted a survey to guage the public’s view on Easter trading laws.
A random telephone survey of 595 residents conducted by an independent consultant between 10 November and 17 November showed that 55 per cent were in support of Easter trading while 45 per cent were opposed.
An online survey conducted between October 31 and 17 November attracted 1421 responses and showed that 62 per cent were opposed to Easter trading and 38 percent were in favour.
Following the survey both councils decided to stick with the status quo, meaning restricted trading on Easter Sunday.
Nelson’s mayor at the time, Rachel Reese, said feedback from the survey showed no clear direction from the community as to whether trading should be allowed on that day.
She said given the lack of pressure for change and the desire for a single regional approach, Nelson would not to pursue the matter.
Tasman mayor at the time, Richard Kempthorne, said public feedback in his district was similar, which was why the council was sticking with the status quo.
"Particularly for people who are in the retail sector and people who are employed there, it gives them a day off, and it's really highly valued by people."
Nelson MP Rachel Boyack says the laws protect “precious” days off for workers.
“We can actually cope with supermarkets being open 99 per cent of the year.”
“As a former retail union organiser I represented supermarket workers in this region for years, and I know that those guaranteed days off are precious.”
But Chris, who owns the Honest Lawyer in Monaco, says it makes no sense that bar staff spend much of Easter telling customers when they can drink, how long they have to drink it, how much they are required to eat and what they have to eat.
“How about we start treating adults like adults?
“At my restaurant and bar in Nelson, our staff have to lecture adults about how they can have a glass of wine with a salad but not with a bowl of fries. On Easter Saturday you have a drink at a pub, on Sunday you have to eat a meal within an hour of a drink.
He says the Easter restrictions on trading “need to go”.
