Easter trading laws could get shake-up under member’s bill

Easter trading laws could be in for a shake-up.

ACT MP Cameron Luxton’s member’s bill, which seeks to liberalise Easter trading rules, has been drawn from the ballot.

At present, shops are required to shut on Good Friday, but Easter Sunday is not a public holiday and shops can open if their local council allows them to.

Only those hospitality businesses serving food can open on Good Friday and Easter Sunday, so bars and nightclubs have to close at midnight on Thursday and Saturday.

Essential services like dairies, service stations and pharmacies are allowed to operate all weekend, as are souvenir shops, real estate agencies, and businesses providing services but not selling goods.

This year in some areas, Kmart and Chemist Warehouse were open on Easter Sunday while Woolworths was not.

“I’ve heard first-hand the frustration that Kiwis feel over Easter with businesses forced to close, and adults being lectured about silly rules around whether they can have a pint with lunch,” Luxton said. “ACT has long campaigned against needless and costly legislation.

“It’s quite simple – if you want to trade, you can. That’s how a free society should operate.

“The bill also looks after workers, as it retains the existing employee protections that apply in respect of Easter Sunday and extends these protections to Good Friday.

“Pushing decisions down to local councils created a patchwork of different rules, further complicating a complex regime. We should simply allow people to choose for themselves whether to trade or work.” The bill has the support of Retail NZ.

Its chief executive, Carolyn Young, said the restrictions were increasingly outdated and no longer fit for purpose.

“Consumers are able to shop online without restrictions on any day of the year at any time. The restrictions the Shop Trading Hours Act places on bricks-andmortar stores are confusing, inconsistent and not responsive to the 2024 environment.”