Our Church and Easter Trading
It has been legal for shops to open on Sundays since 1990 when shop trading hours were liberalised.
There are only 3 ½ days left in our year in which there are restrictions on shop opening hours. These are: 1) the morning of Anzac Day 2) Good Friday 3) Easter Sunday and 4) Christmas Day.
Easter Sunday is not a public holiday, but shops may not open on Easter Sunday. It’s a restricted shopping day with exemptions for some.
There have been 10 attempts since 1990 to liberalise shop trading laws which would allow trading on Easter Sunday.
Attempts to liberalise shop trading laws are increasing. Since 2006, there have been 5 attempts by some members of parliament to change the law. The last was in 2009.A further attempt to liberalise shop trading laws to allow trading on Easter Sunday is expected this year.
Our Church has consistently opposed trading on Easter Sunday. Since 1990 we have
consistently opposed liberalisation.
This is what the Catholic bishops had to say in 2007,
“We believe that if restricted trading on Easter Sunday (and Good Friday) is lifted, workers will not be adequately protected from pressures to work on that day, thereby depriving them of opportunity of spending quality time, not just for worship if they are Christian, but with their families, and in sporting, cultural and leisure activities.’
-NZ Catholic Bishops, Feb 2007
Caritas, the Catholic Agency responsible formaking submissions to parliament on these matters, has noted,
The consistent rejection by the broad coalition of church, union and community
organisations against any further liberalisation of shop trading hours.
Catholic social teaching on the rights of workers, particularly the right to rest.
The experience of our Catholic community in parish life, social service agencies and work with families, particularly in relation to the difficulties incurred by family and community life through lack of work/life balance.
A potential law change will affect approximately 200, 000 workers in the retail industry. It will also affect sports lovers who travel to Easter tournaments, who might have to work instead; it will affect many Maori who will travel for unveilings and hui whomight have to work instead. Family reunions, gatherings, weddings, anniversaries and many other family and community events would be affected.
As the Catholic Bishops say, the pressure on workers,particulary the most
vulnerable members of the workforce , would be to come to work. The right to rest, an important principle of Catholic social teaching, would be ignored.
Caritas position
A number of businesses and politicians favour liberalising shopping hours which would adversely affect thousands of New Zealand families. The Catholic Church has continually opposed this position each time it has been raised over the past two decades.
We do not want to see any change in the legislation that would further extend existing exemptions, although we accept that there are anomalies in the shopping restrictions. We are very supportive of Catholic Social Teaching, specifically; the right of workers to rest. We are very protective of the only 3 ½ days left that have restricted trading hours. If there is a need to address the inconsistencies in which there are different rules for different areas and industries, we believe it is necessary to consider removing rather than extending exemptions.
It has been legal for shops to open on Sundays since 1990 when shop trading hours were liberalised.
There are only 3 ½ days left in our year in which there are restrictions on shop opening hours. These are: 1) the morning of Anzac Day 2) Good Friday 3) Easter Sunday and 4) Christmas Day.
Easter Sunday is not a public holiday, but shops may not open on Easter Sunday. It’s a restricted shopping day with exemptions for some.
There have been 10 attempts since 1990 to liberalise shop trading laws which would allow trading on Easter Sunday.
Attempts to liberalise shop trading laws are increasing. Since 2006, there have been 5 attempts by some members of parliament to change the law. The last was in 2009.A further attempt to liberalise shop trading laws to allow trading on Easter Sunday is expected this year.
Our Church has consistently opposed trading on Easter Sunday. Since 1990 we have
consistently opposed liberalisation.
This is what the Catholic bishops had to say in 2007,
“We believe that if restricted trading on Easter Sunday (and Good Friday) is lifted, workers will not be adequately protected from pressures to work on that day, thereby depriving them of opportunity of spending quality time, not just for worship if they are Christian, but with their families, and in sporting, cultural and leisure activities.’
-NZ Catholic Bishops, Feb 2007
Caritas, the Catholic Agency responsible formaking submissions to parliament on these matters, has noted,
The consistent rejection by the broad coalition of church, union and community
organisations against any further liberalisation of shop trading hours.
Catholic social teaching on the rights of workers, particularly the right to rest.
The experience of our Catholic community in parish life, social service agencies and work with families, particularly in relation to the difficulties incurred by family and community life through lack of work/life balance.
A potential law change will affect approximately 200, 000 workers in the retail industry. It will also affect sports lovers who travel to Easter tournaments, who might have to work instead; it will affect many Maori who will travel for unveilings and hui whomight have to work instead. Family reunions, gatherings, weddings, anniversaries and many other family and community events would be affected.
As the Catholic Bishops say, the pressure on workers,particulary the most
vulnerable members of the workforce , would be to come to work. The right to rest, an important principle of Catholic social teaching, would be ignored.
Caritas position
A number of businesses and politicians favour liberalising shopping hours which would adversely affect thousands of New Zealand families. The Catholic Church has continually opposed this position each time it has been raised over the past two decades.
We do not want to see any change in the legislation that would further extend existing exemptions, although we accept that there are anomalies in the shopping restrictions. We are very supportive of Catholic Social Teaching, specifically; the right of workers to rest. We are very protective of the only 3 ½ days left that have restricted trading hours. If there is a need to address the inconsistencies in which there are different rules for different areas and industries, we believe it is necessary to consider removing rather than extending exemptions.
