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Benn's RR report on Todd McClay and Easter Sunday trading
The New Zealand government allowed retailers in Queenstown and Taupo to trade on Easter Sunday.
Mr McClay now says that was "unfair", presumably to retailers in other centres such as Rotorua. He may be right about that, or he may be wrong. Parliament at the time clearly did not think that it was passing legislation which was unfair to anyone.
But never mind that. Let us accept that it was "unfair" as Mr McClay now claims. He then had two remedies open to him. The first and most obvious solution was to repeal the offending legislation. The second was to allow Sunday trading throughout the country.
Yet, curiously, Mr McClay did neither. Instead he passed the buck to the territorial local authorities, allowing them to impose any solution they saw fit, however "fair" or "unfair" that might be. So "fairness" was never the real issue for Mr McClay. If it had been, he would not have left local authorities free to continue with supposedly "unfair" rules.
The New Zealand government is employing a tried and tested liberal strategem whereby an anomaly is deliberately created and that anomaly then provides a pretext for more far-reaching reforms. For example, restrictions on the sale of alcohol are relaxed, which then fuels demands for a more permissive attitude towards the sale and use of cannabis, quickly followed by legalisation and taxation of the cannabis trade, and eventually, by the same logic, legalisation and taxation of methamphetamine and other drugs. The same approach has been used to make gambling casinos, houses of prostitution and many other highly profitable but morally suspect activities into pillars of the New Zealand economy. The government's ultimate object in the case of Easter Sunday trading is not to make for a better or fairer society, but to undermine the public holiday system in New Zealand, which rests on Christian foundations, and at the same time to erode the influence of the Christian church upon state and society.
That real object was well laid out by Darryn Cosgrove who pointed out that Christians are a minority of the public, that in the opinion of those like himself the Biblical account of the resurrection is nothing more than a fairy tale, and that the Christian religion should not be allowed to obstruct people from increasing their material wealth on Easter Sunday. However Mr McClay cannot state the matter so baldly as Darryn does, if for no other reason than that he still relies on the support of Christian voters to keep him in office.
Christians can respect people such as Darryn Cosgrove who staunchly, openly and sincerely deny Christ, not least because the Apostle Paul himself fervently denied Christ until the time of his epiphany on the road to Damascus. It is more difficult to respect Mr McClay when he argues that he only wants a system that is "fair". The Easter Sunday trading dispute is really all about whether capitalism and commerce should prevail over Christianity and community, and while it may not be politically expedient for him to admit the fact, Mr McClay is firmly on the side of commerce and capitalism.
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Poll: Have you ever had a scary flight?
A plane flying from Christchurch to Wellington on Sunday had smoke billowing out of the engine and upon landing, passengers had to open the emergency exit and jump out. Have you had any scary flying experiences?
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56.5% Yes!
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43.5% No, it's always been smooth flying
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LIVE Q&A: Financial well-being with Cat Rikihana
Today (Wednesday) we're having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with Cat Rikihana who is a financial mentor, educator and financial capability practitioner at Financial Freedom Trust in the Manawatū.
Cat Rikihana (Ngai Tahu) like many financial mentors around Aotearoa, works with individuals, groups and whānau to successfully navigate financial stress and hardship. Mentors work alongside whānau to increase confidence and skills in personal money management and advocate with and for clients. Cat enjoys delivering online and face-to-face workshops which provide opportunities to normalise money conversations and encourages people to make time to consider their financial well-being.
Cat is also an independent financial well-being coach, educator and indigenous life coach at Restore Wellness Network. She is a published writer and currently in the process of writing her first non-fiction book: 'A financial self-care guide for women in Aotearoa.'
She'd love to answer any questions you may have around your budgeting and spending habits, strategies for saving, retirement planning and debt. (Don't be shy, but be mindful about what you disclose!)
↓ Share your questions now and Cat will reply to your comment below ↓
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Poll: When shopping at Beds4U website, do you prefer in-store pickup or home delivery?
Delivery Preferences:
When shopping at Beds4U website, do you prefer in-store pickup or home delivery?
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4.2% In-store pickup, I like to see the product first!
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79.2% Home delivery, for convenience.
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16.7% Depends on the situation :)