Submissions on the Hastings District Council's pre-consultation on whether to adopt an Easter Sunday trading policy have returned overwhelmingly against the prospect.
The council undertook the initial consultation in March and April this year and received 295 submissions, 200 of those opposed to the development of such a policy.
The issue arose after a recent law change gave local councils the authority to permit Easter Sunday trading, and also followed a request from Foodstuffs North Island Ltd last year for the Hastings council to look into the matter.
To date, 25 of the country's 67 local councils had adopted the option, including Napier, which was open for business at Easter this year, the first region in the country to do so.
Among the submissions received, of those opposed to the idea most considered that allowing Easter Sunday trading would reduce the already limited opportunities families had to spend time together.