Any business opening over Easter or Anzac Day should be aware of their obligations as an employer. If their business is a 'shop', they should check the trading restrictions that may apply.
Easter and Anzac dates for 2024
These public holidays fall on these dates:
- Good Friday – Friday 29 March
- Easter Monday – Monday 1 April
- Anzac Day – Thursday 25 April
Employees’ rights
Employees don't have to agree to work on Good Friday, Easter Monday, or Anzac Day unless:
- these are days that the employee would have normally worked
- their employment contract says they have to work on public holidays.
Public holidays and the rights of employees
If an employee would normally work on Thursdays and/or Fridays and/or Mondays, and works on Good Friday 29 March and/or Easter Monday 1 April or Anzac Day Thursday 25 April, they must also be given a paid day off ('alternative holiday') for each of the days worked.
However, if the employee does not work on Good Friday and/or Easter Monday and/or Anzac Day, they still have to be paid for the public holidays if they normally work on Fridays, Mondays or Thursdays.
Shop employees have the right to refuse to work on Easter Sunday (not a public holiday). This acknowledges that Easter Sunday is a day of special significance across New Zealand. Shops include retail stores, cafes, bars, and restaurants that sell goods, including food.
Businesses opening during Easter and Anzac Day
Shops cannot open on Good Friday, Easter Sunday, or Anzac Day (25 April) until 1pm. However, there are some exceptions:
- Certain shops, including dairies, service stations, takeaway bars, restaurants, cafes, and souvenir stores, can open with conditions limiting the goods they can sell, according to the type of store they are. Garden centres can only open on Easter Sunday. Pharmacies can open with no restrictions.
- Some shops have an area exemption, for example, tourist resorts.
- Some shops are covered by a city and district council Easter Sunday trading policy.
- These rules only apply to businesses that are shops as covered by the Shop Trading Hours Act 1990. Other businesses can open during the Easter and Anzac holidays.
Local council Easter Sunday shop trading policies
Council contact list – localcouncils.govt.nz (external link)