Shop Trading Rules Not Working

Media release

Newmarket Business Association

Thursday, 1 April 2010

80,000 people in Wanaka, but only Queenstown shops can open

Over 80,000 people are expected in Wanaka this Easter for its Warbirds Over Wanaka International Airshow. However if they want to go shopping, they’ll need to drive to Queenstown – a predicament which proves the current rules around shop trading are not working and desperately need updating, says Cameron Brewer, chief executive of the Newmarket Business Association.

“Here we’ve got a local business community, who have been battling an international recession, now effectively forced to contemplate breaking the law. If they open on Good Friday or Easter Sunday, they know they’re defying the Shop Trading Hours Act and could land $1,000 fines. It’s just nonsense when you consider neighbouring Queenstown can open. All these inconsistencies and anomalies need to be sorted out once and for all. Anyone would think this is some kind of April Fools Day joke.

“Our tourist towns have been quiet and want to be able to make hay when the sun shines. It's crazy that visitor destinations like Queenstown and Taupo can trade this Easter, but Wanaka, Rotorua, and Mt Maunganui can't and desperately want to.”

Mr Brewer says laws around Easter trading remain a mess despite extensive parliamentary debate in December, when Rotorua MP Todd McClay's private members' bill on Easter trading, promoting local choice, narrowly failed.  He says since 1990 there have been about 10 attempts to change the shop trading laws but all have failed.

"This is not about opening up all the shops across the country as our surveys show the average city retailer doesn't actually want to open. Rather, this is providing a level playing field and consistency, particularly with tourist towns.

"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 like Mitre 10 that sell plants, can't.

"This coming weekend Department of Labour officers will be out fining Wanaka retailers but not Queenstown ones. It remains a complete circus. Despite Wanaka being over-run by 80,000 visitors and keen to put its best foot forward, it will be forced to shut. Our tourist towns are been failed by the politicians when they needed help the most.”

“Everyone agrees that forcing little Wanaka to close during the massive Warbirds show is ridiculous beyond belief, yet nothing is in the pipeline to update our laws. The Government needs to take the bull by the horns on this one, " says
 
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