Commerce and the union movement faced off yesterday over the issue of trading on a sacred day, as a hearings committee took in the sheer scale of visitor numbers for the Ed Sheeran concerts.
Those submitting on the Dunedin City Council Easter Sunday trading policy included Knox Church minister the Rev Dr Kerry Enright, who said Easter weekend stood at the centre of the Christian faith.
"We are not cogs in an economic machine, nor units in an economic system,'' he told the committee.
"We are human beings, not human doings,'' Dr Enright said.
But Dunedin Venues Management Ltd chief executive Terry Davies, who heads the team that secured three Ed Sheeran concerts for Easter weekend next year, said 65,000 people were coming from outside Dunedin, some from as far away as Europe, and many would be visiting the city for the first time.
Dunedin needed those people to leave as ambassadors for the city and tell others of the wonderful experience they had, Mr Davies said.
It was "imperative'' it was open for business to service them.
In August, the council voted to put out for consultation a draft policy to allow shops to open on Easter Sunday.
The policy would include "right to refuse'' provisions allowing employees to refuse to work on the day without suffering repercussions.
Decisions on Easter Sunday trading were devolved to councils after the previous government amended the Shop Trading Hours Act last year.
Of submissions in a consultation process, 53% wanted the status quo - in which only businesses such as garden centres and dairies can open on Easter Sunday - while 44% wanted all shops to be allowed to open.
Mr Davies said DVML had no opinion on Easter trading beyond next year, but Dunedin needed to be open that weekend.
"The city may never have the chance to showcase itself to as large a visiting new audience like this again.''
He said as many tickets had been sold for the three concerts as there were residents in Dunedin.
"We've got to understand the scale we're dealing with here.''
It was important Dunedin was open, as the alternative could be "60,000 people walking round the streets with nothing to do''.
But union organiser Ann Galloway implored the committee not to change the policy.
She said workers would be required to work on Easter Sunday, regardless of rules saying they could take the day off if they wanted.
If the committee went ahead with a proposal to allow all shops to open, "you can bet your bottom dollar you'll be back here next year talking about Christmas Day''.
Her arguments were repeated regularly during the day by other union figures.
First Union organiser Shirley Walthew said her members looked forward to using the day to spend time with family.
Employers pressured staff to work on such days, even if it was in subtle ways.
Sonja Mitchell, an organiser for Unite Union, said her union worked with fast-food workers, and had heard arguments about employee choice.
She said the idea employees would not be required to work was "rubbish''.
New World Centre City owner Craig Nieper said his concern was the city would not cope "with what we've got coming this Easter''.
"I just want the city to do everything it can to host this event''.
Mr Nieper said supermarkets were a fundamental service in the city.
Being able to trade on Easter Sunday would ease congestion and make visiting the city a more enjoyable experience.
He had not yet decided if staff would be paid extra.
For Bunnings, Dean Gick said the Easter period was popular for home and garden work, and having shops open would be beneficial.
Employees would not be required to work on the day, and those who did would get time in lieu.
Countdown's Kiri Hannifin said there was a "legitimate concern'' about employee rights.
Policies had been put in place allowing employees to choose whether to work or not.
"There will be no rights undermined, certainly not on my watch.''
Mitre 10 Mega's Neil Finn-House also said the Easter period was popular for home improvement projects, and opening would allow those people to get the products they needed.
A final submission from the Otago Chamber of Commerce will be heard this morning.
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Comments
I'm not black or white on this one. I believe that having food and entertainment available to the visitors is imperative, other shopping I don't believe to be necessary but as long as workers are properly looked after and it is their choice what harm is caused. I don't hold to Christian traditions and we are now considered a secular society but I personally would hate to lose one of my 4 day weekends per year.