Tourism industry calls for national approach to Easter trading

New Zealand’s tourism industry wants shops to be able to trade on Easter Sunday, but is calling for a national approach to the issue.

In its submission to the Shop Trading Hours Amendment Bill, the Tourism Industry Association New Zealand (TIA) says liberalising Easter trading legislation will benefit both the tourism industry and local economies.

But it warns that allowing each council to decide whether shops can open will create ‘a patchwork of confusing and inconsistent rules’.

“Our visitors move quickly between regions and finding shops open in some places and not others does not create the seamless experience that visitors are looking for and that the tourism industry wishes to deliver,” TIA Chief Executive Chris Roberts says.

“We do not want to see 67 councils given the power to make 67 bylaws about Easter trading. A national approach will provide certainty for everyone.”

Many TIA members wish to have the option of opening their businesses at Easter, particularly when major events are being held in their region, such as the Warbirds Over Wanaka International Airshow.

“These events can attract thousands of visitors but current legislation means they cannot visit local shops, depriving the business community of the benefits of these events,” Mr Roberts says.

TIA supports the provisions in the Bill to protect any workers who do not wish to work on Easter Sunday.

The Association has also noted that, if the shop trading legislation is changed, a review of the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012 will be needed, so that hotels, taverns and off-licences can sell liquor on Easter Sunday.

The removal of Easter Sunday trading restrictions will support the tourism industry’s Tourism 2025 goal of growing total tourism revenue to $41 billion over the next decade, Mr Roberts says.

To read the full submission, go to http://www.tianz.org.nz/content/library/Shop_Trading_Hours_Amendment_Bill.pdf

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