Easter trading: Who can open and when? In August 2016, the then-National government passed responsibility of Easter trading hours to councils, meaning local bodies had the power to rule on whether retailers could open on Easter Sunday. READ MORE:* Opinion: Easter trading laws should become a thing of the past* Big cities slow to embrace Easter trading, compared with country cousins* Opinion: I don't have a problem with Easter trading and I'm a Christian* Opinion: Easter isn't just a religious holiday, it's a family timeHowever, this is still only a fraction of shops around the country, with Wellington, Auckland, and other major centres opting against it. They can raise a personal grievance if they believe they have been made to work Easter Sunday, or been treated badly for refusing to work Easter Sunday. Minster of Workplace Relations and Safety Iain Lees-Galloway said discussions around Easter trading were not a priority at the moment.

Source: Stuff March 24, 2018 16:00 UTC