New Zealanders may gain a public holiday with all the shopping they want as the Government prepares to launch a debate over Easter Sunday.
The Weekend Herald has learned a public discussion document will be released soon giving options for what should be allowed on the day.
Easter
Sunday is not classified as a public holiday under the current law and most shops are closed. Easter Monday is already a public holiday, on which shopping is allowed and penal rates apply for those who work.
Labour Minister Ruth Dyson said the options were being put forward to address "inconsistencies" in the holiday, shopping and sale of liquor laws.
One of the options is to remove trading restrictions and to make the day a full public holiday - increasing the number of public holidays to 12.
This means those working on Easter Sunday would enjoy the benefits in pay and lieu time that apply to public holidays such as Good Friday.
But National Distribution Union secretary Laila Harre said the fundamental issue was that shopping should be the exception rather than the rule on Easter Sunday.
The primary purpose of a public holiday was to stop people working, "not to compensate them for working".
Retailers Association chief executive John Albertson said a clear majority of its members wanted the right to open their doors on Easter Sunday.
The association did not support making Easter Sunday a public holiday.
Retailers would rather offer employees their own terms for working on the day, with workers free to say no.
Catholic Church communications director Lyndsay Freer said the church would be loath to see Easter Sunday "commercialised".
Other options in the discussion document will include keeping the current restrictions on trading and on the sale of liquor on Easter Sunday, or allowing geographic exemptions to trading for areas such as holiday resorts.
