By Emma Hildesley, Digital Report, Inews and is republished with permission
The national day of remembrance held annually on April 25 will look a little different this year due to it falling on a Saturday.
Anzac Day is one of just three-and-a-half days a year when almost all shops must be closed under the Shop Trading Hours Act.
But as it falls on a weekend, the public holiday is next Monday (the 27th).
That means most shops must close on Saturday until 1pm. But businesses also need to work out how to calculate staff pay for Saturday, or Monday.
Here’s everything you need to know:
When is the holiday observed?
The national day of remembrance held on April 25 commemorates the 1915 landing of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) at Gallipoli during WWI.
When a public holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, an employee’s public holiday may be moved to the following Monday, known as ‘Mondayisation’, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) says.
This year, the 25th does fall on a Saturday, which means the national holiday is ‘Mondayised’ and observed on Monday, April 27.
Which day is the statutory holiday?
In short: it depends if you normally work that day or not.
According to MBIE, permanent employees must be paid for a public holiday if it’s a day they would usually work.
When a public holiday falls on a Saturday, workers’ entitlements depend on whether they normally work Saturdays or Mondays.
If an employee normally works from Monday to Friday, the public holiday will be ‘Mondayised’ and their public holiday entitlements will apply to the Monday following the calendar date of the public holiday.
If an employee works on the day of the public holiday’s calendar date, their public holiday entitlements apply to the calendar date – Saturday in this case.
If an employee works both the calendar date of the public holiday and the Mondayisation date, their public holiday is on the calendar date. They do not get two public holidays.
“If the employee does not have a clear work pattern, or there is a lot of variation in their work times, they will need to agree with their employer if a public holiday is a day they would otherwise be working,” MBIE said.
This can create a headache for employers and employees to understand, and MBIE advised people to check their individual contracts with their employers if they are unsure.
What’s open and when?
Mondayisation does not affect shop trading restrictions – these always apply on the calendar date of the holiday, Saturday 25 in this case. Shops do not have to close twice.
The days when almost all shops must be closed under the Shop Trading Hours Act 1990 are Christmas Day (a public holiday), Good Friday (a public holiday), Easter Sunday (not a public holiday), and Anzac Day until 1pm (a public holiday).
Anzac Day is a restricted trading day, meaning all supermarkets, department stores and mall retailers across the country must close until 1pm this Saturday.
This rule aims to respect the solemn nature of the day and ensure the morning is reserved for commemorations and community reflection.
Some hospitality venues including cafés, restaurants, bars and takeaway outlets are exempt from these rules and are allowed to open before 1pm. But many keep their doors shut anyway to give staff the day off, or choose to open later.
Surcharges
Also, venues can choose to add a surcharge for opening on the morning of Anzac Day to cover the additional cost of wages on the public holiday.
The surcharge amount varies between businesses, but the Commerce Commission said it must be prominently displayed using signage to inform customers before they choose to dine.
Businesses can apply a public holiday surcharge on both days, officials say, if they face additional costs on each day. But they must not mislead customers and it must be clearly disclosed.
How can I watch or attend the services?
From dawn services to parades and ceremonies at RSAs, many people will gather to reflect on the atrocities of war, remember those who died, and honour the contributions of returned service personnel.
Anzac services will still be held on Saturday, April 25 across the motu, despite the holiday’s Mondayisation.
For those in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland Council has outlined some of the confirmed ceremonies across the wider region. These include the main Dawn Service at the Auckland Domain from 6am, and the National Commemoration held at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park in Wellington at 11am.
TV1 and TVNZ+ will stream services from the capital at 6am and 11am on Saturday.
Anzac Day trading: What’s open and when?
Information on specific Anzac services in the regions can usually be found on council websites or Facebook pages.
TVNZ will also air a documentary Form Field to Front at 12pm – it follows the story of Dave Gallaher, captain of New Zealand’s 1905 ‘Originals’ All Black team who also became a leader on the battlefield. And at 2.30pm, tune as former All Blacks players don the boots for ‘The Classics’ as they come up against the Classic Wallabies from Stadium Taranaki in New Plymouth.
