Easter laws reflect local trade, says business boss

Jan Twentyman from Burning Issues, says it will be business as usual on Easter Sunday. Photo/ Michael Cunningham

The Kaipara and Far North councils have relaxed their Easter trading rules and Whangarei is likely to discreetly look the other way if retail stores open.

As for business owners, many are happy they won't be breaking the law if they open on Easter Sunday but for others it will be business as usual.

Debbie Moselen, owner of High Voltage surfwear shop in Kerikeri, said she would not have risked breaking the law before the recent law change.

"We will totally take advantage of the change. We'll definitely be open."

Good Friday will remain the holiest of days, with some businesses telling the Advocate they would not to open on that day.

One cafe owner, who did not want his business named, said the decision was more about giving staff a day off than concerns about a religious day.

Despite Whangarei District Council not yet making a decision on Easter trading, shop leases at the council-owned Town Basin have always had a built in exemption because of the precinct's tourism and holiday base.

Jan Twentyman, owner of art gallery Burning Issues, said Easter Sunday would be "business as usual. This law change doesn't affect us".

Heather Carthew, chairwoman of The Bach (Basin Arts and Crafts House) co-operative, said the store usually closed only on Good Friday but opened Easter Sunday - depending on rostered staffs' willingness.

"We're good neighbours with Mokaba [the adjoining cafe] and, generally, when they open we do too," Ms Carthew said.

A cross section of locally-owned Whangarei furniture, decor and clothing stores outside the Town Basin said they had no intention of opening, and probably would not even if the council had changed the law.

Tony Collins, chief executive of Chamber of Commerce Northland, said he was pleased local districts could now decide about Easter opening.

"It's good that Kaipara and Far North have given local businesses the go ahead. We need the choice."

The change recognised that businesses in some places were based on tourist and weekend custom, Mr Collins said.

It was important now that businesses that did open ensured working on holidays "was also a true choice on the part of employers", he said.

Under the Shop Trading Hours Amendment Act 2016, retailers must give staff more than four weeks' notice if they want them to work, and workers have the right to say no, without repercussions.

When the Government handed over the choice to district councils in September Far North was one of the first in New Zealand to loosen the noose.

Kaipara also went with the majority of public submissions to allow local shop owners to decide if they wanted to open. Corporate services manager Peter Marshall said the relaxed law did not apply to outlets subject to the Sale of Alcohol Act.

Whangarei District Council has no plans to bring in its own policy at this stage, saying there was no community-led pressure to do so. It will address the issue before Easter 2018.

Nationwide, some traders, for example fast food outlets, service stations and emergency pharmacists, have always been exempt from Easter restrictions.