Easter Sunday Shop Trading Policy 2025
We’re taking formal submissions on the draft Easter Sunday Shop Trading Policy 2025
Feedback on the draft Easter Sunday Shop Trading Policy closed on Saturday 30 November 2025.
Background
Easter Sunday is a restricted trading day under the Shop Trading Hours Act 1990 (Act). All shops are to remain closed, except for certain shops under certain conditions. These include dairies, cafes, service stations, garden centres, pharmacies, souvenir and duty-free shops.
In 2016, amendments to the Act enabled councils to adopt a policy which permits all shops to open on Easter Sunday in the whole or a part of their district. This provision is only applicable to Easter Sunday and does not include Good Friday nor Easter Monday (which are also public holidays). Councils can not specify what type of shops can open or times that shops can open.
Council adopted an Easter Sunday Shop Trading Policy in 2017 in consultation with the community. This policy allowed all shops in the district to open if they wished to. The policy supported local businesses who benefit from tourist trade, in particular, and provided greater options for the large volume of visitors to the district over this time period. It also eliminated any confusion on what shops can open on Easter Sunday.
Employees have the right to choose not to work on Easter Sunday.
The policy does not apply to the sale or supply of alcohol. Alcohol sale and supply is regulated under the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012.
What we’re proposing
Council considers that the current policy is working well for the district and proposes that the policy continues with minor amendments to the style and structure of the document.
Get informed
For more information, please see the following documents:
Shop Trading Hours Act 1990 (external webpage)
The proposal can also be viewed at Council offices and libraries district-wide.
Options
The following options have been considered regarding how Council could proceed after it has undertaken the consultation process:
Option 1 – adopt the draft policy
Option 2 – adopt an amended policy
Option 3 – do not adopt a draft policy
How to have your say
Formal submissions on the draft Easter Sunday Shop Trading Policy 2025 are now open and can be made in the following ways:
Online here: use the submission form below
By email: send an email of your submission to letstalk@qldc.govt.nz with ‘Easter Sunday Shop Trading Policy 2025’ in the subject line
By post: mail to 'Easter Sunday Shop Trading Policy 2025', Queenstown Lakes District Council, Private Bag 50072, Freepost 191078, Queenstown 9348
In person: feedback can be dropped in to QLDC offices
If you do not feel comfortable providing your name or contact details in a submission, please contact Council, who can facilitate an anonymous submission.
Please let us know if you’d like to speak at a submission hearing.
Submissions close at 5.00pm on 30 November 2024.
Next steps
Hearings are scheduled to be held in February 2025.
If you have requested to speak at a hearing, a member of the governance team will be in contact to provide further details and arrange a convenient time.
Please note that all submissions have equal weight, whether you have chosen to speak at a hearing or not.