Harawira Hone: Shop Trading Hours Act Repeal (Easter Trading)  Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Harawira Hone: Shop Trading Hours Act Repeal (Easter Trading)  Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:631;Page:3607] 
HONE HARAWIRA (Maori Party—Te Tai Tokerau) 
: 
 Kia ora Madam Speaker; kia ora tatou te Whare. The rising of the Matariki in the north-eastern sky in June is significant to many people in the South Pacific. For Maori the Matariki marks the turning point of the seasons—a time to reflect on the year gone by and to plan for the days ahead. Matariki is a time to celebrate a new dawn to embrace new growth to practise and express our spiritual beliefs and values and for Maori people from throughout this great nation of ours to switch to the Maori roll. 
The Maori Party knows the importance of Matariki to Maori throughout Aotearoa and it is with that knowledge that we come to the second saga of the Easter trading series—indeed to a second and separate bill on Easter trading itself. That appreciation helps us to understand the importance of honouring Easter’s Christian traditions for Maori and other New Zealanders. I raise here the objections from the Anglican archbishops of Aotearoa who say that the Easter trading bills are ill-conceived and will strip away family freedoms and workers’ rights. Maori regardless of iwi regardless of birthplace and regardless of occupation still cling to many traditional spiritual practices and after many years of dawn karakia openings blessings and tangihanga I know that our desire to worship and share spiritual practices with one another remains one of the features that still binds us as a people today. 
The Maori Party is aware of the historical spiritual and religious significance of Easter but we are not unaware of the economic realities facing our people either. We stand by our responsibility to raise the status of those most in need in Aotearoa. I raise again the ugly reality of poverty in Aotearoa and I point also to the cold hard fact of 230000 children living in poverty at a time of conspicuous wealth and at a time when political parties can blithely break the law then seek absolution for their crimes not through the payment of penance but by the passing of dodgy legislation. People in Taupo and Queenstown have the opportunity to bring more money into their household by being able to work through Easter but others in Rotorua and Wanaka are denied that opportunity. It is because of those anomalies that the Maori Party is happy to support this bill at its first reading. 
Speaking of anomalies and looking at some of the geographical exemptions carried over in the Shop Trading Hours Act Repeal Act of 1990 I must say it is apparent how silly the application of the law has been. For example in Richmond Court in Thames a shop can trade on Easter Sunday as long as Easter Sunday falls in March. In Mariners Mall in Picton a shop can open only if a cruise ship is in port. In one of the more bizarre twists in the Carnegie Centre in Dunedin a shop can sell toys and books on an Easter Sunday only while performances are happening on the mezzanine floor. The law is crazy it benefits some and denies others and it simply does not make sense. Too much legislation being passed through this House fits those criteria. The Maori Party wants to see laws made simple clear and equitable. 
To be honest I am not overly fussed about new laws that jeopardise quality family time. Sundays for me are precious moments at home soaking up the sun—even in the winter the weather is always fine in the far north—resting the soul talking to the kids catching up with the whanau and stacking up the “zzzs”. So I am not happy at the thought that sometime down the track my moko will say to me on a Sunday: “Sorry papa but I’ve got to go to work.” It would be nice though if he had the choice—if he could say: “Hey paps they wanted me to work but I said no and they were sweet about it.” 
Stevie Chadwick has promised to protect workers’ rights in her bill. Although I am naturally suspicious about people who are promising to look after the workers I will take her at her word and will watch this bill as it goes through the select committee to ensure that those rights are indeed protected in legislation. So as we look forward to the Matariki the Maori Party will support the first reading of this bill and will listen carefully to the submissions made by those who also have the interests of the family at heart to ensure that in advancing our economic situation we do not take our society backwards. Kia ora koutou katoa.