Easter trading bills need resurrection

Newmarket Business Association

Tuesday, 27 March 2007

Easter trading bills need resurrection

Marathon debates in parliament over Sue Bradford's controversial anti-smacking legislation have buried the prospect of fairer Easter shop trading laws being in place this year which will cost many retailers, claims Auckland's leading shopping district.

The Newmarket Business Association has accused the Government of mismanaging the parliamentary process, and has requested that a Labour MP's private member's bill on Easter trading be promoted to government bill status and given priority.

"It's very disappointing that Sue Bradford's private member's bill which has little public support continues to take up so much of parliament's time when two well supported bills focused on commercial fairness are left languishing on the heap," said Cameron Brewer general manager of the Newmarket Business Association today.

Mr Brewer's comments follow the Government's decision not to force parliament into urgency over the anti-smacking bill which has already been the focus of a marathon debate during its committee stages.

"Leader of the House Michael Cullen has mismanaged the process. At the very least the Government should have promoted the status of Steve Chadwick's bill to keep things moving. However it's been sadly left to languish and subsequently the Labour MP is openly voicing her frustration."

The two private member's bills that are aimed at creating a fairer playing field for retailers over Easter are National MP Jacqui Dean's Easter Sunday Shop Trading Amendment Bill and Labour's Steve Chadwick's Shop Trading Hours Act Repeal (Easter Trading) Amendment Bill. Both bills were introduced to parliament in May 2006.

Jacqui Dean's bill allows shops in certain areas with significant visitor industries to remain open on Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Steve Chadwick's bill seeks to enable territorial authorities to decide whether retail shops in their districts may be open on Easter Sunday following community consultation.

"The many trading inconsistencies over Easter need to be sorted out once and for all. For example, it is crazy that Parnell can trade on Easter Sunday but Newmarket can't. It's equally crazy that visitor destinations like Queenstown and Taupo can trade, but Rotorua, Mt Maunganui and Wanaka can't and desperately want to," said Mr Brewer.

"Sadly like previous years, trading this Easter will again be a circus with many retailers crying foul and others feeling they have no option but to break the law.

"The Dean and Chadwick bills are about shining some light on the many inconsistencies currently in place over Easter. Unfortunately, however, the Government's priorities have dictated that neither bill is going to see the light of day for sometime," said Mr Brewer.

ENDS

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