Shop Trading Restrictions A Casualty Of MMP

The MMP environment has made changes to holiday trading hours more complicated than necessary, says Business New Zealand.

Business New Zealand executive director Anne Knowles says the system proposed for introduction next year will mean businesses must apply for an exemption in order to trade on Christmas, Easter and Anzac holidays.

"Labour, National and ACT all support holiday trading hours being liberalised across the board, but the Alliance has used its position as junior coalition partner to insist on a system where businesses must organise petitions and apply for exemptions in order to trade on those days.

"The Alliance says it has ensured the new law will be tight enough to ensure exemptions are the exception rather than the rule. This means more compliance costs for businesses, with less certainty about outcomes.

"It's also a system that will lead to 'winners and losers', as it will be limited to businesses that rely on holiday trade.

"The vast majority of businesses and their customers want to be able to make their own decisions about when they trade. A majority of Parliamentarians have indicated they want the same thing. Yet a minor party is able to deny that choice to the majority," Ms Knowles said.

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