Retail NZ said it welcomes the government’s announcement that it is establishing a working group to review the Holidays Act.

Greg Harford, Retail NZ’s general manager for Public Affairs, said the current Holidays Act was written in a different era and does not suit the needs of modern day New Zealand.

Harford said it is great news that the government is looking seriously at the issues surrounding this.

“The current legislation is difficult to understand for both employers and employees and it is hard to work out holiday entitlements,” Harford said. “Fundamentally, the current Act does not meet the needs of the 21st century workforce, when many people do not work a traditional Monday to Friday working week.”

Harford said there are also connections with the Shop Trading Hours Act that need to be explored.

“The Shop Trading Hours Act prevents shops from opening on selected religious holidays, including Easter Sunday,” he said. “Over time, the Shop Trading Hours restrictions have become less about religion and more about holidays. It is therefore essential that the Shop Trading Hours Act is considered as part of any review of the Holidays Act.”