March 2025
Gisborne District Council
15 Fitzherbert Street
Gisborne. 4010
New Zealand
Introduction
The Restaurant Association of New Zealand (the Restaurant Association) welcomes the opportunity to make a submission on the Gisborne District Council Easter Sunday Shop Trading Policy.
Since 1972, the Restaurant Association has worked to off er advice, help and assistance in every facet of the vibrant and diverse hospitality industry, covering the length and breadth of the country. We’re passionate about our vibrant industry, which is full of interesting, talented and entrepreneurial people.
The Restaurant Association’s priorities for Easter Sunday Shop Trading policies are in strong support of enabling shops to open during Easter Sunday. This is for the following reasons:
- The choice to open a business for trade should rest with the business owner, not local or central government.
- Employees have the ability to refuse work on Easter Sunday without any repercussions to the employment relationship.
- There should be a consistent approach to Easter Sunday Shop Trading policies, enabling national operations to open across the country.
Gisborne District Council proposal
The Restaurant Association supports the Council’s proposal to re-adopt the current policy (Gisborne District Easter Sunday Shop Trading Policy 2018) as the Tairāwhiti Easter Sunday Shop Trading Policy 2025. In particular, the Restaurant Association supports the Council’s current policy maintaining the ability for shop owners to choose to open on Easter Sunday if they wish to do so.
Employer and employee rights
The choice to open during Easter should ultimately rest with the business owner, especially when acknowledging the impact of ongoing economic challenges. Employee protections are maintained under the Shop Trading Act 1990, ensuring staff who do not wish to work on Easter Sunday are able to refuse work.
Easter Sunday is not a public holiday, and the primary reason for restricted trading is based on religious ideology. Removing these restrictions aligns with the principles of economic freedom and choice, and modernising our collective approach to Easter Sunday trading will only help to support economic growth.