Francesca Rudkin: We need to simplify Easter trading hours

If you live in a city, there is something quite special about waking up on Good Friday - to the sound of silence.

There are no cars on the road, no hum of traffic in the distance, no sound of people going about their day-to-day routines. My first thought on Friday was - it’s like Christmas Day. My second thought wasn’t as pleasant - it’s like lockdown. But the feeling was the same - how nice the world is when it pauses for a moment.

But as much as I appreciate these few days a year when many get to stop, the crazy rush, chock-a-block carparks and supermarkets on Thursday and Saturday made me wonder whether it’s worth it. 

We don’t seem to be able to cope, or prepare, for supermarkets to shut. If we weren’t down on hot cross buns, I certainly wouldn’t have made the trip to my local. It’s lovely having Friday and Sunday off, but not, if the days around it are a nightmare.

We have been talking about the inconsistencies and confusion around retail laws over Easter for as long as I can remember. What is open and shut depends on where you are in the country; sometimes where you are in a city. Don’t forget it’s the local authority which decides whether stores can open or not.  

It depends on what you’re selling. There are strange restrictions on what can be sold, and you must be selling something that people can’t put off buying until the next day. But you can get a haircut. And just to make it even more confusing - the Shop Trading Hours Act covers both public holidays, and days that aren’t public holidays, such as Easter Sunday.

I think it’s time to let people decide for themselves how they want to spend their Easter. Whether they open their businesses, work or shop, or do none of the above and quietly go about their day. 

We’ve been arguing forever the merits of a day off and people being able to spend time with family and friends, or businesses being able to make the most of people wanting to spend money and get jobs done. 

We have spoken about employees facing pressure from their employers to work over Easter when they would prefer not to. And how there are plenty of employees who would happily take the benefits of working a public holiday. 

Let’s not forget online retailers can sell you whatever they like on these days. 

What a minefield of confusion. Let’s just bite the bullet, simplify the laws, make sure employees are protected, and let businesses decide if they open or not, and get on like it’s 2025 and not 1990. 

I’m also pleased sense is being shown around the purchase of alcohol over Easter. Labour MP Kieran McAnulty’s Bill to change rules around alcohol sales on ANZAC Day morning, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, and Christmas was voted through its first reading a week or so ago. 

Currently, people must order a meal before having an alcoholic beverage at a restaurant or pub. Once again, it’s all about simplifying the rules for both hospo, tourists, and Kiwis catching up at a restaurant over the holiday period.

And there are a lot of businesses who would appreciate it being simpler to make a buck.

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