Of the 39 complaints received, 10 related to either a service, or sold goods, exempt under the legislation. The remaining 29 businesses would receive a warning letter.
Earlier this year a spokesman for Retail New Zealand said the number of fines being handed down to business owners had fallen.
According to figures from MBIE, there was an average of 34 prosecutions each year between 2007 and 2012, however there were only two prosecutions in 2013, and none last year, he said.
"We think that customers are increasingly wanting to shop over Easter - and that the falling number of prosecutions reflects increasing consumer support for shops being able to open."
Who stays open?
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment said on its website there were three and a half days when almost all shops were required to be closed -- Christmas Day, Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Anzac Day, until 1pm.
Shops allowed to open were ones that sold items people could not put off buying until the next day, such as baby formula or pet food, and the quantity of goods for sale was no more than needed to meet the needs of people in the area.
Retailers were also allowed to sell goods, but not services.
Video stores were able to rent videos, but not sell them and hair salons were allowed to provide a hair cutting service, but were not allowed to sell hair products, the website said.
Also, a shop that was situated on a premises where there was a bona fide exhibition or show could sell goods that were somehow connected to that show or exhibition.
The bona fide exhibition or show must be devoted entirely or primarily to agriculture, art, industry and science, the website said.
