Ongoing confusion over Easter Sunday can only be resolved by government leadership to repeal the shop trading hours restrictions, according to industry body Retail NZ.

The comments follow a court decision overturning a Napier City Council policy allowing shops to open on Easter Sunday, which shows how “needlessly complex this issue can be for everyone”.

“[It[ is not a public holiday,” said Greg Harford, Retail NZ’s general manager for public affairs.

“Retailers should have the right to close their shops, or open them if they wish, taking into account customer and employee demand.

“There’s strong customer demand to be able to go to the shops on Easter Sunday, with Nielsen research showing 50 per cent of Kiwis shopped or did some other commercial activity on Easter Sunday.”

Harford went on to note that New Zealanders who wanted to stay at home or attend Church on Easter Sunday should have that right, but so should those who wish to shop.

According to Retail NZ, the previous government ‘failed the retail sector and consumers’ by delegating decision making on this issue to local councils, creating a mishmash of confusion throughout the country that has created exemptions to advantage certain retailers over others.

“New Zealand is a small country, and we should have one set of consistent rules applying nationally,” said Harford, calling on the government to remove restrictions on shop trading hours on Easter Sunday.

“There is still time for new legislation to be implemented ahead of next Easter, recognising that individual customers, retailers and employees should be allowed to make their own decisions about how they spend Easter Sunday.”