Waikato District Council has adopted the Easter Trading Policy 2017, meaning all retail shops in the Waikato district will be able to open on Easter Sunday this year. Whether they do open or not is up to the business owner.
The policy was adopted at yesterday’s Council meeting.
Council carried out extensive community consultation to find out what people wanted. During the consultation period, from 14 December to 7 February, 1268 submissions were received with 51% (656) in favour of shops being able to open. The majority opposed to the policy cited religious reasons, preserving our community culture or to make sure workers had a break.
Councillors acknowledged that the submissions were very evenly split. The views of those opposing the policy were discussed in detail as well as the benefits of giving shop owners the choice to open. The policy will ensure that individual business owners can make their own choice as well as ensuring a consistent approach across the district.
For more information, including the policy, please visit our website www.waikatodistrict.govt.nz/easter
