Stewart Barbara: Holidays (Full Recognition of Waitangi Day and ANZAC Day) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Stewart Barbara: Holidays (Full Recognition of Waitangi Day and ANZAC Day) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
[Sitting date: 27 March 2013. Volume:688;Page:9012. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
BARBARA STEWART (NZ First) 
: 
 On behalf of New Zealand First I would like to take a brief call on this very important bill the Holidays (Full Recognition of Waitangi Day and ANZAC Day) Amendment Bill. This bill is really important. We know that Anzac Day and Waitangi Day are days that are really significant to us as New Zealanders and we will not stop commemorating them. They are very very special and we always like to treat those days as such. But what we in New Zealand First believe is that the rules for these holidays have to be the same as they are for Christmas and New Year if they fall on a Saturday or a Sunday. It is absolutely essential. We want to recognise our special days. We do not want them being treated as second-rate holidays and we believe that this is happening at this point in time. So we are happy for this particular bill to go through. 
It was interesting to hear that the tourism industry absolutely supports this bill because it knows that people will travel further into New Zealand if there is a day off on the Monday when the Saturday or the Sunday is Waitangi Day or Anzac Day. I have had a lot of people saying to me—even the taxi driver when I came into Parliament this particular week said that he thinks we should have the Monday off when it is a significant holiday. People support this change right throughout New Zealand. But I think it is worth saying that 6 February and 25 April are still going to remain as the days that we commemorate and observe Anzac Day and Waitangi Day. What this bill means is that if these days fall on the weekend then a holiday on the Monday can be observed. 
The importance and the recognition of these days is absolutely essential. We like to compare ourselves with Australia. Australia has implemented this Mondayisation very successfully and as New Zealanders we can do the same. They are the people whom we like to measure ourselves against all the time. Even the Prime Minister measures us against that country. 
We were quite interested to hear that the first date that will actually be affected by this change is in April 2015—25 April. I think it is worth mentioning that this is the 100-year anniversary of Gallipoli and what better way to celebrate. It is very very important. The first time that this affects Waitangi Day is in February 2016. So we can see that it is not going to happen instantly but it is going to happen over a period of time. I think it will affect us for 2 days every 5 years which is not significant. 
What is the cost to employers? Well we have heard that it is going to be only 0.12 percent. This is not going to put an undue financial burden on the Government or on taxpayers mainly because it is going to happen only occasionally. In New Zealand First we like to see some consistency across our public holidays. The inconsistency that we currently have is quite problematic and it can be quite confusing for families employers and employees alike. So we need to ensure that all public holidays are treated the same. 
It is worth stating too that this bill is going to be excellent for provincial New Zealand and those in the tourism sector. It is time that we stood up for this group in this Chamber. The cycleways—the great tourism development—do not appeal to a large majority of the population because we are never ever going to use them but in some way this small change by Mondayising Anzac Day and Waitangi Day will inevitably benefit families communities and many businesses right throughout New Zealand. It is for this reason that New Zealand First is firmly in support of this bill.