Napier Council Decision on Easter Sunday Trading

Goes to High Court


Application has been made in the High Court of New Zealand (Napier Registry) for Judicial Review of the Napier City Council’s decision in 2017 to introduce a new Easter Sunday Trading Policy enabling all local retailers to open on Easter Sunday.

The case has been taken because of a concern that the process Council followed to remove one of the three and a half remaining guaranteed holidays for all workers prevented proper consultation with many of those most affected by the decision, including employees of shops now able to trade on EasterSunday, and church groups.

This happened because submissions were only able to be made over the summer period when churches were busy in the lead up to Christmas, and with clergy and staff then on leave, and because Council wrongly assumed it had consulted with trade unions. ‘In my view’, Dr Gwynn said, ‘the process the Council did undertake favoured the business community so that the Council received an incomplete and biased response to its proposed policy’.

Before 1980 New Zealanders enjoyed over a hundred shared leave days. Losing one of the very few now remaining guaranteed shared leave days is a significant matter for society as a whole.

A petition last year of over four hundred people asking Council to hold a proper and fair hearing was ignored, leaving Court action as the only remaining resort for natural justice on this issue.

ENDS

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