Inspectors swoop on Easter openers

Sarah Clapp is torn as she sifts through the array of cut-price plants at a busy sub-urban Christchurch nursery on a sunny Good Friday.

It is illegal for this nursery to be open and Mrs Clapp agrees with the law. But it did not stop her dropping in to pick up some Easter bargains yesterday.

"I'm solidly against them opening because I think it is really nice to have a day where nobody has to work," Mrs Clapp says.

"But I have three small children at home and I was bored. We've had an Easter egg hunt and we've done everything we can do today. It is a good sale, and in town it's really hard to get reasonably priced plants."

The law requires all businesses to be closed on Good Friday unless they meet exemptions that include supply of essential goods or meeting tourist demand. Nurseries and garden centres are a contentious omission.

Department of Labour inspectors were out in force around the country yesterday to catch those flouting the law, visiting 26 suspect businesses.

One of those caught was the Oderings nursery visited by Mrs Clapp.

The Christchurch-based Oderings chain of nine stores opened in defiance of the "archaic" law, as it does every year. Last year the chain was fined $9000 for opening, and it expects to face a similar penalty this year.

"This is when we have our annual sale ... We feel quite aggrieved that nobody can tell us why we can't open," said Oderings director Darryn Odering.

"It's a victimless crime. I'll have over 10,000 customers come through our stores today.

"They wouldn't be here if they didn't want to be. Gardeners can't garden at night-time and they tend to do it at long weekends. People are here with their partners, their wives, their kids."

Principal labour inspector Muriel Kelly said her staff could not make exceptions to the law.

"If a business does not clearly fit into one of the exempted categories, it is an offence to open and trade during any time the law restricts trading, and the owner or occupier of the shop may be prosecuted," she said.

Last year 77 retailers were successfully prosecuted as a result of inspectors visiting retailers who opened on Good Friday or Easter Sunday.

Most nursery shoppers spoken to by the Weekend Herald yesterday had no qualms about visiting a store opening illegally and wanted the law changed.

"To us, it's something we want to do in the Easter weekend and something we enjoy doing," said Dianne Clement, shopping with her husband Lindsay.

"We've got a really lovely garden and it's something we can do together."