Decision digest | Governing Body
23 March 2017

Easter Sunday trading leads discussion at Governing Body meeting

The Government’s decision to delegate policy decisions allowing retail businesses to trade on Easter Sunday came before the Governing Body today with councillors opting to ask Aucklanders what they think about expanding shop trading to EasterSunday.

Mayor Phil Goff said Easter Sunday trading is an important matter that people are quite passionate about and consulting Aucklanders on whether to keep the status quo or establish a policy allowing trading was the council’s unanimous decision.

“Considering Easter Sunday trading is not simply about religious observance. There are only three and a half days each year set aside purely for family time or when most people are not expected to work.

“We must consider whether we want that opportunity retained and we will listen to what our communities are saying before we make a decision,” he says.

The following is a digest of decisions made. The agenda is available on Auckland Council’s website and minutes will be added once confirmed. This meeting was alsowebcast on the council’s website and items are available on demand.

Items 1-10 are administrative items, excluding local board input which is summarised below. There was no public input.

Item 6: Petitions
Graham Saxon and Trish Deans of the Takapuna Action Group presented a petition relating to the disposal of land in Anzac Street, Takapuna, currently used by the Takapuna Sunday Market.

Item 11: Response to Easter Sunday trading legislation
The Shop Trading Amendment Act 2016 (the Act) came into force in August 2016. Under the Act, councils can now adopt a policy to allow shops in all or parts of their district to trade on Easter Sunday. Currently only some shops can legally trade on Easter Sunday.

Since August 2016, Auckland Council has been approached by some major retailers and individuals asking about council’s response to expand Easter Sunday trading.

Angela Dalton, chair of the Manurewa Local Board, and Lemauga Lydia Sosene, chair of the Mangere-Ōtāhuhu Local Board spoke strongly in opposition to the introduction of Easter Sunday trading (and on behalf of Lotu Fuli, chair of the Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board). They supported council engaging with the community before any decision is made because they placed a high value on community input.

The Governing Body considered the item and resolved to move forward with option one. Before making a decision, the council wants to provide an opportunity for Aucklanders to have their say on whether it should expand shop trading on EasterSunday.

The council wants to make sure it strikes the right balance between opportunities for additional money to businesses and workers, and opportunities for people to spend time on other recreational and leisure activities.

Community engagement will commence in April 2017 with findings reported back to the Governing Body in August. If the Governing Body decides to pursue a policy, a proposed policy would be adopted by October 2017 for public notification and consultation carried out by December 2017. A final decision would be expected in February 2018.

Item 12: 2017 LGNZ Conference and Annual General Meeting
The Governing Body confirmed its representatives at the Local Government New Zealand Annual General Meeting and attendees at the LGNZ conference.

Item 13: Selection Process for the Demographic Advisory Panels
The process for selecting members for the Demographic Advisory Panels was noted.

The council received 326 applications for the five demographic panels which include the Disability Advisory Panel, Ethnic Peoples Advisory Panel, Pacific Peoples Advisory Panel, Seniors Advisory Panel and Rainbow Communities Advisory Panel.

ENDS

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