Easter trading fines not stopping some stores

Next Sunday will be "business as usual" at Oderings Garden Centre. Photo/Warren Buckland

While most shops are closed on Easter Sunday, Oderings Garden Centres and Mitre 10 Mega stores will be opening their doors to all Hawke's Bay locals who are out and about this Easter weekend.

Oderings Garden Centre director Julian Odering said next Sunday will be "business as usual" as they continue to make the same point they've been making since first being fined in the 1990s.

"We don't see it as flouting the law, we see it as a bad law."

Mr Odering said the store originally had an exemption as a "leisure" activity until the early 1990s when the Government liberalised Easter trading hours.

Since the rules have changed Oderings have copped fines for trading on Easter every year.

"We've been fined tens of thousands of dollars since then."

However this hasn't stopped Easter Sunday being their largest trading day of the year; making it well-worth the fight to regain the privilege of opening for trading on Easter Sunday, Mr Odering said.

"It's just wrong that service stations sell plants [on Easter Sunday] but garden centres can't."

Mr Odering said the stores are busy on Easter weekend because April is the right time of the year to be cultivating gardens and planting trees.

Hastings Mitre 10 branch manager Matthew Suckling said the Mitre 10 hardware stores had been opening on Easter Sunday for years for similar reasons.

"There's plenty of punters out around so we like to be open. It's worth opening."

Like Oderings, Mitre 10 Mega had also copped fines in the past but Mr Suckling said this had been the case for many years and was dealt with by the company owners.

He also said the company didn't force people to work the public holiday, but rather gave them an opportunity to work.

"We put it out to them to choose if they want to work or not."

Employment law in New Zealand specifies those working Easter Sunday are paid their usual rate with no paid day off later.

Mr Odering also said those employed by the garden centres were also given the opportunity to work on the public holiday.