Bills by Labour MPs to remove rules around sale of alcohol on public holidays, and for Crown entities to adopt Māori names have been drawn from the Members’ Bill Ballot.

Kieran McAnulty’s Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Sales on Anzac Day Morning, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, and Christmas Day) Amendment Bill repeals rules that limit the sale of alcohol on public holidays.

“The Bill will allow hospitality businesses already able to operate on these days to do so under normal conditions,” Kieran McAnulty said.

“This will prevent the need to apply for a special licence to serve alcohol to veterans after Anzac Day services, remove any incentive to stockpile alcohol before Easter, and allow hospitality businesses to operate under normal conditions during some of the busiest and most profitable times of the year.”

Shanan Halbert’s Enabling Crown Entities to Adopt Māori Names Bill aims to fix the issue that Crown entities often adopt names in Te Reo Māori in addition to English names, creating the impression that Māori names are optional or secondary.

“More te reo Māori in the community is a positive reflection of where we are as a more inclusive society, and reflects te reo Māori’s status as an official language of Aotearoa New Zealand,” Shanan Halbert said.

“It is important that public sector organisations reflect the Crown’s commitment to te Tiriti o Waitangi.

“Recently the National Government has undermined that commitment and taken the revitalisation of te reo Māori backwards by going back to English names for Te Whatu Ora and Waka Kotahi, which are both Crown entities.”

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