Under the Shop Trading Hours Act 1990, most shops (apart from some shops like dairies and service stations) must close on Easter Sunday unless a council has a policy allowing them to open.  

Councils are not required to have a policy. Our policy has been in place since 2017 and provides shops with the choice to open if they want to. 

By law, most shops across New Zealand stay closed on Easter Sunday. Local councils, including ours, can give shops the choice to open - and workers always get the final say. 

No. The policy does not require any shop to open. It gives shop owners the option to open if they choose. 

Yes. Employees have legal protections under the Shop Trading Hours Act 1990. They can choose not to work on Easter Sunday without giving a reason, as long as they notify their employer within the required timeframe. 

We are proposing to continue with the current policy position, which allows shops to open on Easter Sunday if they choose, with minor changes to make the policy clearer.  

We have reviewed the policy and considered a range of factors. We want to hear your views - do you think this approach still works for our district, or should we revoke the policy? 

If the policy is revoked, the default national rules would apply, meaning most shops would have to close on Easter Sunday.

Here’s what we considered in our review: 

• Community values and religious significance:

Easter Sunday is an important day for many people for religious and family reasons. At the same time, some value having the choice to shop or trade. 

• Economic benefits:  

Easter weekend is a busy time for tourism and hospitality. Allowing shops to open gives businesses flexibility to meet demand and support the local economy. 

• Employee rights:  

Employees have strong legal protections. They can choose not to work on Easter Sunday without giving a reason. 

• Previous feedback:  

When we last consulted on this policy, most people supported giving businesses the choice to decide whether to open, while respecting employees’ rights and religious observance. 

Council’s approach aims to balance these views by keeping the current policy - which gives businesses and customers choice, while protecting employees and respecting cultural and religious significance. We are proposing some minor changes to the wording for clarification and to assist in understanding. 

The Shop Trading Hours Act 1990 requires councils to review their Local Easter Sunday Shop Trading Policy every five years. We’re doing this review a little earlier so it lines up with planning for our upcoming Long Term Plan. 

Council adopted the Local Easter Sunday Shop Trading Policy in 2017 after changes to national law allowed councils to set local rules and following community consultation.  

You can come along to a Council meeting and speak directly to elected members if you’d like to share your views in person. Council will then consider all feedback - both written submissions and verbal comments, before making final decisions on the policy. The final policy is expected to be in place by 1 July 2026.