Carterton approves Easter Sunday trading

Carterton has become one of the first councils in the country to allow trading on Easter Sunday.

Its unanimous vote, at a district council meeting on Monday, put it in company with the Far North and Clutha as councils around the country vote on whether to allow Easter trading.

It’s been a contentious issue following last year’s law change, which shifted the decision from government to local councils.

So far, both Nelson and Tasman have voted against allowing it. It’s currently being reviewed by several other councils, including Masterton District Council, which will vote on this today.

The new policy for Carterton, in the Wairarapa district, comes with a caveat: if employees don’t want to work, they can do so without giving an explanation.

Mayor John Booth said he was pleased with the result.

‘‘Carterton’s always been at the forefront of doing new things,’’ he said. ’’But really, I am very happy about that.

‘‘The most important thing was giving employees the choice of whether to work or not.

‘‘They don’t have to give any reasons at all.’’

Although Carterton had just five submissions to its Easter trading plan, other councils had many more.

Masterton had 93, of which 78 were opposed.

Although some Masterton businesses and organisations were for Easter trading, like Foodstuffs and Retail NZ, most business owners appeared to be against the changes.

The submission from Mitre 10 Mega Masterton’s director Ejvind Frederiksen said a survey of the store’s staff showed a clear majority were against the store opening.

The South Wairarapa District Council is holding a hearing on March 2 to consider residents’ views on the matter.