Another blow to sensible shop trading laws

The day before the budget, the House rejected on a 57-64 vote the second reading of the Shop Trading Hours Act Repeal (Easter Trading) Amendment Bill by Rotorua MP Steve Chadwick.

This legislation would have allowed territorial authorities to decide — after consulting their communities — whether shops in their area could open on Easter Sunday. It was a very modest bill but would at least have removed the anomalies in the current law where Taupo can open but Rotorua can not etc.

The Table Office of the Office of the Clerk has kindly sent me through the voting list, which is included after the break.

The voting breakdown by party was:

National 33-15
Labour 13-36
Maori 0-4
ACT 2-0
NZ First 7-0
United 1-1
Green 0-6
Progressive 1-0
Independents 0-2

I’m disappointed to see 15 National MPs vote against this modest step towards more sensible law. It was great to see all of NZ First in support and 13 Labour MPs. If four more MPs had voted for it, it would have survived.

In terms of party leaders it was supported by six of them. Clark, Key, Peters, Dunne, Hide and Anderton all voted in favour. Well done.

Also well done to the Labour MPs who voted for it – Benson-Pope, Burton, Chadwick, Chauvel, Choudhary, Clark, Cullen, Dalziel, Goff, Hawkins, Hodgson, Parker, and Wilson.

Shop Trading Hours Act Repeal (Easter Trading) Amendment Bill

The House resumed the interrupted debate on the question that the Shop Trading Hours Act Repeal (Easter Trading) Amendment Bill be now read a second time.

On the question, That the bill be now read a second time, the votes were recorded as follows:

Ayes 57

Anderton (P)
Auchinvole
Bennett D (P)
Bennett P (P)
Benson-Pope (P)
Blue
Blumsky
Brown
Burton (P)
Carter D (P)
Carter J (P)
Chadwick (P)
Chauvel (P)
Choudhary (P)
Clark (P)
Clarkson
Coleman (P)
Collins (P)
Cullen (P)
Dalziel
Dean
Donnelly (P)
Dunne
Finlayson
Foss (P)
Goff (P)
Goodhew (P)
Goudie (P)
Groser
Hawkins (P)
Henare
Hide
Hodgson (P)
Key (P)
King C (P)
Mapp (P)
Mark (P)
McCully (P)
Paraone (P)
Parker (P)
Peachey
Peters (P)
Power
Roy H
Ryall (P)
Simich (P)
Smith L (P)
Stewart
Tisch (P)
Tolley
Tremain (P)
Wagner
Wilkinson
Williamson (P)
Wilson
Woolerton (P)

Teller:

Guy

Noes 64

Ardern (P)
Barker
Barnett (P)
Borrows (P)
Bradford (P)
Brownlee (P)
Carter C
Connell (P)
Copeland
Cosgrove (P)
Cunliffe (P)
Duynhoven (P)
Dyson (P)
English (P)
Fairbrother (P)
Fenton
Field (P)
Fitzsimons
Flavell
Gallagher
Gosche
Harawira
Hartley (P)
Hayes
Heatley (P)
Hereora
Hobbs (P)
Horomia (P)
Hutchison (P)
Jones (P)
Kedgley (P)
King A
Laban (P)
Locke
Mackey
Maharey (P)
Mahuta (P)
Mallard (P)
Moroney
O’Connor
Okeroa (P)
Pettis (P)
Pillay
Rich (P)
Ririnui (P)
Robertson (P)
Roy E
Samuels (P)
Shanks (P)
Sharples
Smith N (P)
Soper (P)
Street
Swain (P)
Tanczos (P)
te Heuheu (P)
Tizard (P)
Turei
Turia
Turner (P)
Wong (P)
Worth (P)
Yates (P)

Teller:

Hughes

(P) denotes proxy vote.

Motion not agreed to.