Easter trading coming to Taranaki

Easter trading has come to Taranaki with the Stratford District Council giving the green light for shops to open on one of Christianity’s holiest days.

The council’s policy and services committee voted yesterday to give shops the option to open on the day, with just two councillors against and one not at the meeting.

The vote comes two years after the government changed the law to allow councils to set their own rules around whether shops could trade on Easter Sunday.

In debate before the vote, councillor John Sandford said he supported the status quo that made it illegal for most shops to trade on the day.

"Isn’t it nice that people in our town can actually have some time off?" he asked.

He also pointed out that while Foodstuffs, the franchisor for New World and 4Square, had supported the change, Stratford New World owner Dan Harris’ submission was against it.

While the Foodstuffs submission said shops needed to stay open for people who travelled to Stratford for the holiday, Sandford argued they would already be able to buy what they needed from the shops that could already open.

"For me, it should stay as it is because we’re not a tourist destination, and anyway the tourists can still come and get what they need in the town," he said.

"Let’s think about the workers and we should think about families getting some family time together, which they don’t get enough of."

Under current Easter Sunday trading rules dairies, service stations and garden centres are free to trade. There are other exemptions but most retailers cannot open.

Peter Dalziel, the chairman of the Stratford Business Association, said he agreed with Sandford’s stance that shops should remain closed on the day.

"I think this discussion would be a bit more relevant if our retailers opened every Sunday, or even Saturday afternoon," he said.

"We haven’t even got to grips with Saturday trading, which came in in the 80’s.’’

However, the pair were voted down, with mayor Neil Volzke, deputy mayor Alan Jamieson and councillors Grant Boyde, Graham Kelly, Rick Coplestone, Keryn Walsh, Jono Erwood and Kelvin Squire all voting for the change.

Coplestone said while most business had indicated they wouldn’t open on the day, the council needed to have the option available if it wanted to attract bigger stores such as Repco.

"I think we need to give people the freedom of choice," he said.

"I think the majority in the submissions stands for itself."

Of the 23 submissions received by the SDC, 15 were in favour of full trading, two wanted it restricted and six wanted to stay with the status quo.

Kelly said during the discussion that society was changing.

"If you’re a religious person and don’t like it, you won’t go shopping, you’ll go to church instead and that’s fine," he said.

"People are working around the clock so they should have the right to shop or open their business at any time."

Under the legislation passed by the Government in 2015, councils can decide to allow all shops to open, only those in certain areas to open or only those that are already exempt.

If a council did allow shops to open, employees would be allowed to decline working.

Liam Dagg, director of environmental services, said the policy would be in place in time for Easter, in eight weeks’ time.