Doing business over the Easter or Anzac holidays

Here come the Easter and ANZAC holidays! If your business is operating over those holidays, make sure you know the rules around your obligations as an employer...

Easter and ANZAC dates for 2023

These public holidays fall on these dates:

• Good Friday – Friday, 7 April 2023

• Easter Monday – Monday, 10 April 2023

• ANZAC Day – Tuesday, 25 April 2023

Spotted the obvious?! Yes, Easter Sunday is NOT a public holiday. It is a day of special significance in New Zealand, but not a public holiday.

If your business opens on these days read more from The Ministry of Business Information & Employment (MBIE) on your responsibility as an employer.

Employee's rights

Employees don't have to agree to work on Good Friday, Easter Monday or Anzac Day, unless:

• These are days that the employee would have normally worked

• Their employment contract says they have to work on the public holidays

Shop employees have the right to refuse to work on Easter Sunday (not a public holiday). This acknowledges that Easter Sunday is a day of special significance across New Zealand. Shops include retail stores, plus cafes, bars and restaurants that sell goods including food.

Holidays falling on Fridays or Mondays

If an employee would normally work on Fridays and/or Mondays and works on Good Friday 7 April and/or Easter Monday 10 April/Anzac Day Tuesday 25 April, they must also be given a paid day off ('alternative holiday') for each of the days worked.

However, if the employee does not work on Good Friday and/or Easter Monday/Anzac Day, they still have to be paid for the holidays. Paying employees who work a straight 9-5 job is easy, but can get tricky if the rosters are varied and the type of employment they’re on. We have spilt some sauce on how to calculate Payroll falling on public holidays.

For all the details - make this your go to guide: Employment.govt.nz