“Members of Parliament will have the opportunity to make meaningful change for small business owners in New Zealand by voting for my Member’s Bill to reform Easter Trading laws at first reading today,” says ACT’s Small Business spokesperson Chris Baillie.

“My bill is about removing the extra burden on businesses due to idiotic restrictions on trading. It’s quite simple – if you want to trade, you can. That’s how a free society should operate. The bill also looks after workers as it retains the existing employee protections that apply in respect of Easter Sunday and extends these protections to Good Friday.

“With the bill treated as a conscience vote by the major parties, I encourage their MPs to think of the small businesses in their area who have been doing it tough and are needlessly constrained by outdated legislation. All of my ACT colleagues will be, and I was encouraged to see National Leader Christopher Luxon support the bill on the AM Show this morning as well.

“It just doesn’t make sense that bar staff spend much of Easter telling customers when they can drink, how long they have to drink it, how much they are required to eat, and what they have to eat. How about we start treating adults like adults?

“ACT has employers’ backs and knows that owning and running a business is hard work and high risk. Let’s be sensible and create laws which allow businesses to thrive, not add unnecessary pressure and regulations.”

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