Parliament Must Update Easter Trade Laws

Media release

Newmarket Business Association

Friday, 20 November 2009

The country’s leading retailing district is supporting the Auckland Chamber of Commerce’s call today for Parliament to fix the annual Easter trading circus once and for all.

Reignited calls from Auckland’s Chamber of Commerce and the Newmarket Business Association follow Parliament’s drawing of Rotorua MP Todd McClay’s private members’ bill on Easter trading.

“Easter trading will continue to be a headache if Parliament does not confront the raft of outdated laws, anomalies, and historic exemptions,” says Cameron Brewer, chief executive of the Newmarket Business Association.

“This is not a blanket liberalisation of shop trading hours as our surveys show a lot retailers don’t actually want change. Rather, this is about empowering local communities to make up their own minds about opening on Easter Sunday.

“It’s crazy that visitor destinations like Queenstown and Taupo can trade, but Rotorua, Mt Maunganui and Wanaka can't and desperately want to.

“Tourism New Zealand surveys show shopping is a favourite leisure activity for tourists visiting New Zealand. For popular destinations like Rotorua, it’s a no-brainer.

“There also remain silly anomalies that see the likes of Parnell being allowed to trade on Easter Sunday because it has got an historic exemption. What’s more it’s bizarre that since 2001 garden centres can open on Easter Sunday, but hardware stores can’t.

“In 2007 the Department of Labour conducted some extensive and costly consultation on Easter trading, only for the previous Government to then do nothing. In fact, Parliament has had nine attempts in nearly 20 years to amend the 1990 legislation. Political consensus is well overdue. It’s time to sort out the annual Easter circus once and for all,” says Cameron Brewer.

ENDS

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