Wanaka stores are exempt from closing on Easter Sunday, but Good Friday is still off-limits and alcohol restrictions are in place for all bars and restaurants.
Queenstown Lakes district deputy mayor Quentin Smith yesterday called the bylaws “archaic” and said he did not see any reason for closures to be in place during this time.
“Easter’s one of the busiest weekends of the year in Wānaka and so it does impact the businesses, but it also impacts the ability to service those visitors,” he said.
Mr Smith acknowledged the issue could be “tricky”, as the council wanted people to have time off, but many of Wānaka’s businesses needed the custom Easter provided.
“We created a bylaw to allow the trading as far as we can, but the legislation doesn’t allow us to go any further, so it requires a law change,” he said.
The final Wheels at Wanaka drew an estimated 65,000 people to the Three Parks event grounds over Good Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
And when the town “swells” with big events at Easter “we need to be able to service those people”.
Wānaka-Upper Clutha ward councillor Barry Bruce had similar views, saying Easter could be a blessing for businesses in a small town.
“A lot of businesses in Wānaka, they rely on those events to give them a financial boost to carry them through the shoulder season, you know, when it is very quiet.”
As such, he felt the laws were not appropriate in today’s times and although a law change had been discussed, the council was not able to get far with central government, he said.
“None of the central government politicians seem to have a lot of appetite for it, unfortunately … they’re a bit detached from areas like ours that are heavily reliant on tourism.”
Water Bar owner Tony May said in his nine years of running the business this was by far the busiest Easter he had seen.
As thrilling as it was to see the restaurant busy, he was frustrated with the bylaws, especially the alcohol restrictions.
“We’ve been doing it for nine years and we know exactly what we have to do,” he said.
“But it’s completely frustrating and still lots of people don’t understand … nobody supports it that I’ve run into.”
From his experience, some visitors could be sceptical there were restrictions on alcohol consumption and he often had to “convince” patrons there were rules around what they could be served.
