Changes to holidays up for debate

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Tue, 07 Feb 2012 5:49p.m.

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Parliament is going to debate a bill to "Mondayise" public holidays when they fall on a weekend.

Labour MP David Clark drafted the member's bill and it's been drawn from the ballot.

He says Waitangi Day and Anzac Day fall on weekends every five years.

"It doesn't seem fair that where workers are entitled to a day off they are sometimes missing out," he said on Tuesday.

Whether the bill gets past its first reading, likely to come up within the next few weeks, depends on whether the government supports it.

Prime Minister John Key says National's caucus will think about that.

NZN

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Comments

14 Feb 2012 06:40p.m.

Brynn Neilson wrote:

Public holidays are costly for small business owners. Around 13% of a year is holidays or a type of leave with pay for employees. Every time a new holiday is introduced it's not the Government that has to find the money to pay for it it's small business owners. I think we have too many days off and that's why we're won of the least productive nations in the western world.

09 Feb 2012 08:04a.m.

Brad wrote:

Kit, have you read what the four holidays referred to in (a) to (d) are? They are Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Years Day and the 2nd of January. There is no way you can read section 45 to include either Waitangi Day (s41(1)(e))or ANZAC Day (s41(1)(h).

Like I said, nice try, but statutory interpretation is clearly not a strength!

However, I think we both agree that this is a good idea from Clark!

08 Feb 2012 09:16p.m.

Kit wrote:

Yes the title does say Christmas and new years, however, the first line of section 45 says any of the public holidays listed in section 44(1)(a) to (d), not four out of eleven of the public holidays

08 Feb 2012 08:01a.m.

Brad wrote:

Nice try Kit, but you might want to take another look at section 45 mate. Section 45 talks about the transfer of public holidays over Christmas and New Year period only. It does not cover any other public holidays.

Having said this, good luck to David Clark's members bill - I (like most NZ'ers I am sure) really hope it passes!

08 Feb 2012 07:39a.m.

Alex wrote:

About time - makes no sense you get an irregular number of holidays per year. If either day falls on a weekend and is not observed on the nearest workday, it should be a mandatory day off in lieu for all workers.

07 Feb 2012 06:28p.m.

Kit wrote:

Just to follow up this is where you can find the holidays act 2003 http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2003/0129/latest/whole.html#DLM237118

07 Feb 2012 06:15p.m.

kit wrote:

holidays act 2003, section 44 lists waitangi day and anzac day as public holidays, section 45 states that if any holiday listed in section 44 falls on a saturday it is to be observed on the following monday, if it falls on a tuesday it is to be observed on the following tuesday, so according to nz law they are both ALREADY mondayised

07 Feb 2012 06:15p.m.

kit wrote:

holidays act 2003, section 44 lists waitangi day and anzac day as public holidays, section 45 states that if any holiday listed in section 44 falls on a saturday it is to be observed on the following monday, if it falls on a tuesday it is to be observed on the following tuesday, so according to nz law they are both ALREADY mondayised