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Kāpiti Coast District Council is reviewing whether all shops will be allowed to continue trading on Easter Sunday.
Easter Sunday was not a public holiday like Good Friday or Easter Monday, but shops can open if the local council has adopted a local Shop Trading Policy, or if they were exempt from the policy.
Mayor Janet Holborow said in the review the community would be asked if policy allowing shops to be open on Easter Sunday should be renewed, revoked or amended.
She said shops trading on Easter Sunday was an issue that could affect many people including shop owners, staff and their families, and others in the community.
"The review gives us an opportunity for a kōrero with our community to check the policy is still relevant and fit for purpose," Holborow said.
Council adopted the policy allowing shops to open on Easter Sunday in 2017, saying it contributed to a thriving local economy and a more vibrant district.
Government regulations require the Easter Sunday trading policy to be reviewed every five years.
This was the council's first review.
About two-thirds of other councils also have policies in place allowing all shops to trade.
Since Kāpiti adopted the policy to allow shops to open, average Easter Sunday spending had been less than half the spend of a standard Sunday.
However, council believed that figure was influenced by shops being closed over Easter during the 2020 lockdown.
Holborow said just because shops could open did not mean they had to.
"It simply permits it. It's up to shop owners to decide whether they want to open, and for staff to choose whether they will work or not."
The policy will be automatically revoked if the review was not completed by December 2024.
