Editorial: Hospital pass on trading law

THE Government has been keen to devolve some of its traditional responsibilities to local government - think of the sale of alcohol and of psychoactive substances - but its latest plan for re-regulating Easter trading could be a hospital pass.

Retailers and probably most consumers will be happy with an easing of restrictive trading laws on what churchgoers regard as the most sacred of days.

Workplace Relations Minister Michael Woodhouse said the changes addressed "complex and arbitrary" rules covering Easter shop trading.

But central government will not be ringing the changes. It has passed that task to local councils.

While this will be welcomed in tourist centres, how it will pan out in less busy regions is another matter.

The minister and business leaders say it is a positive and sensible step, with retailers wanting to open their doors in a busy time.

Current legislation is outdated, with puzzling rules that allow some to trade but deny others. Some have defied the rules and traded anyway.

Passing the responsibility to the Wanganui District Council and other councils could create its own anomalies. Who is to say Wanganui trading rules will be the same as in neighbouring regions? That's why some commentators have argued for a national approach, rather than this piecemeal option.

Queenstown and Rotorua councils have struggled with the old Easter Sunday trading laws and the large number of tourists visiting those areas. But centres such as Wanganui will have to weigh up various factors, and the religious component cannot be ignored.

Then there is the matter of protecting workers' rights - for a lot of them, Easter is the only guaranteed time off.

Our council, for one, faces an interesting debate.