For (59) Adams, Auchinvole, Bakshi, D. Bennett, P. Bennett, Blue, Boscawen, Bridges, Brownlee, Calder, D, Carter, J. Carter, Chadwick, Coleman, Collins, Dean, Douglas, Dunne, Finlayson, Flavell, Foss, Garrett, Gilmore, Goodhew, Goudie, Groser, Guy, Hayes, Henare, Hide, Hutchison, Joyce, Kaye, Key, C.King, Lee, Mapp, Mclay, McCully, Parata, Peachey, Power, Quinn, H.Roy, Ryall, Sharples, L. Smith, N.Smith, Te Heuheu, tisch, Tolley, Tremain, Turia, Upston,Wagner, Wilkinson, Willliamson, Wong, Woodhouse
Against: (62) Anderton, J.Ardern, S.Ardern, Barker, Beaumont, Borrows, Burns, C.Carter, Chauvel, Choudhary, Clendon, Cosgrove, Cunliffe, Curran, Dalziel, Davis, Delahunty, Dyson, English, Fenton, Fitzsimons, Goff, Graham, Hague, Hawkins, Heatley, Hipkins, Hodgson, Horomia, Hughes, Huo, Jones, Katene, Kedgley, A. King, Laban,Lees-Galloway, Locke, Lotu-Iiga, Macindoe, Mackey, Mahuta, Mallard, Moroney, Nash, Norman, O’Connor,Parker, Pillay, Prasad, Ririnui, G.Robertson, R. Robertson, E.Roy, Sepuloni, Shanks, Shearer, Sio, Street, Turei, Twyford, Young.
Hone Harawira did not vote.
So, the three Maori Party members voted for the bill along with all of ACT, Peter Dunne and most of the National caucus and one Labour MP. 9 National MPs voted against, along with one Maori Party MP, all Greens, Jim Anderton and all Labour MPs bar one.
Yes, I was hoping someone would post the names, you no voters should be very proud of yourselves!
Woo hoo!
Here’s to democracy!
Nice work, and good on the NDU for their protest today.
Also, good on the Nats who were brave enough to cross the floor on this!
A few suprising names in the ‘No’ list. { phrase deleted. that is over the line. This is a warning, any repeat and your comments will be in moderation, Grant}- Maori would have been the most affected by liberal trading laws in the Rotorua area.
Personally I think that this issue should be put to referendum. If the people want the shops open, then they should vote for it. A precedent is the 1967 referendum on 6 o’clock closing.
Ugh I missed this on TV. But what is the protocol for the casting of such a vote for someone like Chadwick the sole Labour MP for the Act? As in who casts her vote?
I see Ohariu’s Katrina Shanks was one of the few Nats who voted against the bill, while Peter Dunne (who gave us the Families Commission) voted for it. You would think he would have been against Easter Sunday trading.
The Herald is reporting that Jim Anderton voted for the bill. Can anyone confirm that?
I believe the no voters are a bunch of wowsers. I personally would never shop on those days for my own religious reasons – but more imporrtantly my decisions should not impact on those who make other decisions in their life. As long as the legislation made it 100% clear that any staff member has the choice (and no pressure should be applied) as to whether or not they should work.
There are many (and probably in low paid groups) who may actually appreciate the ability to work on those days and earn some extra money – especially if penal rates applied. By Labour being whipped into voting against this bill show that they are still under the thumb of the unions.
Monty, do you honestly think that post will get anyone to rise to it? pathetic!
@Ginger It was a personal (conscience) vote. For these we actually get up and go through the AYES or NOES lobby and tick our name off on a voting lit. Steve cast her vote for herself as she was in the debating chamber. If she had not been she could have had a proxy vote organised which gets recorded for those who can not be there.
@G I can assure you that Jim Anderton voted against. I was standing in the lobby beside him.
Dot – On this blog page, and given the Labour Party’s track record for being the nanny to all I would expect a rise (that is after all the purpose of debate and comments).
Businesses should be able to decide for themselves whether or not it is beneficial to open on say good friday – or Christmas day. Could the Warehouse open on Christmas day for example – would enough people want to go shopping on Christmas day to justify opening – probably not and therefore the Warehouse (or any other retailer) would remain closed.
My point is that it should not be for Uncle John to decide whether or not a shop should or should not open – it should be the market. People should have the choice – (and that does include the choice to work)
Grant, you robbed my post of context. But I accept your editing.
I really get sick of people like Todd McClay and Monty who think workers should have yet another day off taken off them. If they had their way they would have no holidays and people would just work until they dropped.
Jacqie Deans’ Easter Trading Bill was passed in the first reading by 15 Labour MPs including P Goff.
In a previous Easter Trading Bill Steve Chadwick and 27 other Labour MPs voted for it at the first reading and 14 Labour MPs voted for it at the second reading.
What circumstance has changed to block this bill?
At least Steve Chadwick stuck to her principles.
Go Stevie!!
Pentwig, there have been numerous bills in the last 15 years, all defeated. And all address the issue differently. You’d have to say that MPs look at the substance of each bill and make their minds up. Different bills can equal different result.
Phil Lyth
So this was a greatly watered down version of all the previous bills i.e. excluding Good Friday and allowing local authorities make the decision.
We now have the continuation of a nonsense that allows Taupo to trade on these days but not even other major tourist destinations such as Rotorua or Wanaka or Queenstown or Picton, let alone the rest of the country.
If I was a betting man I am sure I would win the bet that: MPs allowed union interference to overcome commonsense.
Hey Pentwig,
If union interference ensures that workers do not have to work and have a day off, then its fine by me. There is nothing wrong with a holiday.
Did Peter Dunne make sheep noises when he followed his masters in to vote?
On another blog is the suggestion to make Easter Sunday a public holiday.
I think this is a grand solution.
Would that suit the unions?
I think it should be a public holiday. The fact that it isn’t is an accident of history from the days no one contemplated working on a Sunday. That doesn’t mean I think shops should be open.
I think make it a public holiday so that people who have to work can get extra dosh. But keep the shops closed so that families can spend the day together.
Grant is right and the Herald wrong. I’ve sighted a scan of the tellers sheets.
With a law like this, businesses may have had choice but many workers would have had none. I’m glad this bill was defeated.
Is it true that Jim and an other changed their voting intentions after the promoter of the bill attacked them in his reply speech?
[...] Grant Robertson blogs those who voted for letting communities decide, and those who voted against. [...]
I think that you can’t vote for a badly desinged bill if the real problem isn’t being challenged or changed. I would have prefered that there was a real comprimise found that satisifed unions and the concerns of the reality of employer-employee relationships, while at the same time reinforce consumer freedom and entrench the employer’s responsibilities and opportunities.
and the matter of letting local councils decide is not always a bad one.
Making Easter Sunday a public holiday is not such a bad idea but I would like to see what else is on the table.
My gut says that if a comprimise couldn’t be found under a Labour government, then the possibility of a concensus probably could never exist.
Has anyone considered the financial and emotional investment that business owners make, and the fact that to ban them opening their doors on Easter Sundays deprives them of the capacity to work that day? What if they are struggling to pay off a huge debt after purchasing the business?
Why should atheists, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, etc., be forced to observe a Christian festival?
Millsy: if workers “having a day taken off them” is bad, would it not be good to give every day back to them, i.e. make their jobs redundant?
Monty: wowsers is an apt description of those who opposed this bill; they are interfering busybodies, many of whom have never owned a business themselves.
I’m in favour of allowing shops to open on Easter Sunday – but think we should close them all day on ANZAC day.