Tomorrow, Australians and New Zealanders will join in honouring the sacrifice of those who have served their country. As I said earlier I will be there. As in New Zealand, in Australia the day has been growing in significance in recent years, and turnouts at events grow every year.
On Monday, New Zealanders will return to work, while Australians will have the day off. Australia “Mondayises” ANZAC Day as a holiday when the actual day falls on a weekend. New Zealand does not do that, nor does it do it for Waitangi Day. They are the only holidays that are either not set on a weekday or are not ‘Mondayised’.
I am interested in your views on whether New Zealand should move to Mondayise Waitangi Day and/or ANZAC Day? The argument against this usually focuses on the cost to business and the weakening of the significance of the day if the holiday is taken on another day. There are also issues for those who are weekend workers who are disadvantaged by Mondayising.
On the pro side, we have relatively few holidays compared with other countries, and the non-Mondayising means that in a number of years workers will only get 9 or 10 of the legislated public holidays. It would also make for a more consistent approach in terms of the Christmas/New Year period. The cost to business would not be enormous given that the day off already happens most years.
For me (personally I hasten to add) I think that the best of both worlds is possible. The significance of the days has now grown to the point that I am sure the commemorations will continue to occur on the 25th of April and 6th of February. If the holiday is Mondayised that will restore to hard working New Zealanders their entitlement of 11 holidays.
Having said that I am still grappling with the issue of weekend workers being disadvantaged, and the changing nature of work patterns, that might sway me to find other ways of ensuring a holiday entitlement is consistent for all.
Anyway, let me know what you think.
Doesn’t easter monday and anzac collide next year?
Oh goodie.
Grant knows we disagree on this issue. My top priority in the holidays area is resecuring the 4th week of holidays. Next is making Easter Sunday a public holiday. Mondayising specific date holidays doesn’t do much for me.
I do agree with you that Monday-ising Anzac Day weakens the significance of the day. I have met plenty of union delegates who actually oppose the Monday-ising of Anzac Day.
I’m with Trevor, I’d like to see Easter Sunday be a public holiday. Hopefully his LEC has put in a remit for the upcoming regional conference. It’s very confusing for many people I’ve spoken to, they don’t understand how a day can be trading-restricted but not a public holiday.
But good discussion to have all the same and good on Grant for raising it – it’s been raised with me too, but also there are some workers who hardly ever get a paid holiday, Mondayised or otherwise because they work shift, and they have every Monday off. So while other workers get eleven public holidays off on pay, they are lucky to get one or two.
a couple of years ago I did get caught in the confusion that was the Sunday public Holiday, My workplace was closed on the friday , saturday and Monday but we had to work on the Sunday without any extra pay and with a rugby or football match in full swing , meaning 4times the usual amount of work and no ability for additional compensation, it really %&^#@!@#$% for want of more accurate words
I agree with Trevor regarding Easter Sunday. As a student with a part time job in retail, those whose shift was on the Sunday were unable to work because due to the trading laws the shop had to be closed. But as it’s not a public holiday they didn’t even get paid. Pretty unfair, especially considering those with a shift just two days earlier (good friday) also had a day off due to the same regulations, but were paid as it’s a public holiday.
@stephensmikm
mine was back when student rates were still around!
Fourth week good.
Easter Sunday Holiday – 
Mondayising ANZAC Day – personal thing, annoying.
I hate it when holidays fall on a weekend and the employer doesn’t give you the day off. In the US it is all decided by the employer there aren’t any State or Federal laws for holiday time off. Most companies that require people to work on holidays do give extra pay. All government jobs give extra pay, but if you are a salaried employee and you job doesn’t honor a holiday then you are just screwed.
I don’t believe New Zealand has fewer holidays than we do. We have a lot of days that are recognized for one thing or another, but aren’t recognized as a day off. Also – as we add new holidays old holidays are removed for the ‘day off’ list. For example, I grew up getting Presidents Day off, but when they added Martin Luther King day, we quit getting Presidents Day off.
Considering that Easter isnt on an ‘actual date’ of whats its commerating, rather Easter is the 1st Sunday after the full moon.
Choosing a monday isnt so bad.
Christmas only became a legal holiday in Scotland in 1967 as some churches , since the refomation didnt observe some so called Christian festivals.
Quakers and Jehovah Winesses being amoung them
I’m leaning towards Grant’s position. I think symbols are important and that we should place more emphasis on the days that are directly relevant to our nation. I don’t think it weakens the significance of the day, rather I think it strengthens it. Would like more public discussion around why Waitangi Day is important to our nation. I’d rather celebrate that than the Queen’s Birthday (no disrespect to the Queen).
One thing I’m not sure about is how Monday-ising Anzac Day or Waitangi Day would disadvantage workers who work weekends, if it were done in the same way as the Christmas holidays.
With Christmas and Boxing Day, if they fell on Saturday and Sunday for example, the workers who work on the weekend observe it then for the purposes of time and a half and a day in lieu. For those who don’t, it is observed on Monday and Tuesday.
The contrasting approaches does reflect a something about sense of place/history. Observance of matters military does seem more entrenched in Australia.
My personal view is that ANZAC Day is not day of “celebration” as are most of the other stat days. Anzac Day is to pay tribute to and show respect for the NZ’s who have died in the line of duty. That’s why we get up before dawn, no matter what the weather, to show our respect for these men and women. Dawn was the start of the Gallipoli campaign, hence the timing.
I sincerely hope that no one, ever, has the power to “Mondayise” Anzac Day.
It does seem a strange message for Australians to have had the extra day off and Kiwis not, when we are supposedly commemorating the same thing (gee, we even sang each other’s national anthems this year!). Clearly ANZAC day must be marked on its actual day (the 25th). It’s a separate issue as to whether a ‘holiday’ be attached to it as well. But surely in the case of Waitangi Day, this should always be a holiday – why have a holiday for your regional anniversary and not for your country’s?
Excellent point S usan.
What spud said, great post Susan.
maybe ANZAC day is so important people shouldn’t need to Mondayize it to signify it’s importance that people should reflect no matter what the circumstance , ANZAC day is not religious or Political despite what some people feel but something altogether different