Labour leader Jacinda Ardern is promising to make Matariki a public holiday if re-elected.
Ardern made the pledge to mark the start of the Maori New Year while campaigning in Rotorua yesterday.
She says Matariki will be a distinctly New Zealand holiday and a time for reflection.
But the proposal is being criticized for creating additional costs for businesses at a time of economic crisis.
That's despite Labour saying it wouldn't introduce the new holiday until 2022.
An unconvinced Judith Collins said the announcement was poorly timed.
Muriel Tunoho is co-president of the E tū union and Alan McDonald is the head of advocacy and strategy for the Employers and Manufacturers Association.
