Authorities won’t disclose penalties, if at all, for supermarkets breaching Easter trading laws for third time in four years

Two penalties, if any, for two Wānaka supermarkets that were trading as usual on Good Friday and Easter Sunday are unable to be disclosed by authorities.

Despite almost all shops across the country being required to close on both days unless deemed essential or holding an exemption, New World Wānaka and New World Three Parks remained open.

While breaches of trading restrictions can result in fines of up to $1000, especially if businesses have been previously warned and prosecuted, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment was unable to disclose whether the stores faced a penalty, if at all.

“The Labour Inspectorate does not disclose operational details relating to the enforcement of shop trading over the Easter and Anzac Day period,” head of compliance and enforcement Simon Humphries said.

Humphries also said the ministry and the inspectorate did not provide updates or share details on the number of complaints received relating to the enforcement of shop trading until after the restricted trading period when all the information has been collated.

“We expect to make this information publicly available, and to share it with media, approximately two weeks after Anzac Day,” he said.

Thousands flocked to the resort town of Wānaka the weekend. Photo / George Heard

When asked by the Herald if customers spent more at the supermarkets over the two days, a Foodstuffs spokesperson said the company did not share sales data as a general rule.

The spokesperson reiterated a statement made to the Herald over the weekend.

“Foodstuffs stores are locally owned by grocer families and have strong connections in their communities. With tens of thousands of visitors expected to come into town over the holidays, the two New World stores in Wānaka took the decision to open throughout the Easter holidays, including Good Friday and Easter Monday.

“Their motivation is to make sure the local community and visitors alike, have the convenience of access to food and groceries from a full-service supermarket throughout the break.

“Easter trading hours in New Zealand are a long-debated topic and it’s often unclear for customers to know when they can go shopping due to the different trading laws in place throughout the country. Wānaka is part of the Queenstown Lakes District Council and while Queenstown has an exemption to trade on Good Friday, which dates back to the mid-1980s, Wānaka isn’t included in that exemption.”

Both New World stores gave their team members the option to work over the Easter break with enhanced pay and time off in lieu, and did not sell alcohol on Good Friday or Easter Sunday, the spokesperson said.

The decision to remain open throughout coincided with Warbirds Over Wānaka, which returned to the town for the first time in six years following previous cancellations due to Covid-19.

Ben Tomsett is a Multimedia Journalist for the New Zealand Herald, based in Dunedin