Easter Trading 2024

With the Easter break pending, if you have a business that is open (or operates) over Easter, the following is a timely reminder of your employer obligations and employee entitlements over this period.

If the business is a retail 'shop', employers should check the trading restrictions that may apply.

Easter dates for 2024

Public holidays fall on these dates:

• Good Friday – Friday 29 March
• Easter Monday – Monday 1 April

Employees Working

Employees do not have to agree to work on Good Friday or Easter Monday unless:

• These are days that the employee would have normally worked; and
• Their employment agreement states they are required to work on public holidays.

If an employee would normally work on a Friday and/or a Monday, and works on Good Friday 29 March and/or Easter Monday 1 April, they must be paid time and a half for the hours worked and also be given a paid day off (an 'alternative holiday') for each of the days worked.

However, if employees do not work on Good Friday and/or Easter Monday, they must still be paid for these public holidays if they normally work on Fridays or Mondays, and they are entitled to be paid their relevant daily pay.

Under New Zealand’s current trading laws, there are restrictions on what businesses may open on Easter Sunday. Councils also have the ability to vary arrangements in their area, and therefore the rules may vary between different regions.

Although Easter Sunday is not a public holiday, employees have a right to refuse to work without reason.  This provision acknowledges that Easter Sunday is a day of special significance across New Zealand.

Businesses opening during Easter

‘Shops’ including retail stores, cafes, bars and restaurants that sell goods (including food) cannot open on Good Friday or Easter Sunday until 1:00pm, 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.
• As mentioned above, 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 holidays.