Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced New Zealand will mark the passing of Queen Elizabeth II with a State Memorial Service and one-off public holiday on Monday September 26.
“Queen Elizabeth II was an extraordinary person and I know many New Zealanders will appreciate the opportunity to both mark her death and celebrate her life," Ardern said after Cabinet made the decision in the wake of consulting opposition parties.
ACT and Business NZ opposed the creation of a public holiday on the grounds it would be too expensive for businesses.
“I know many people will want the opportunity to pay their respects and the public holiday offers communities around the country the ability to come together and pay tribute at local events also. The decision to hold a one-off Public Holiday in the Queen’s honour is also in line with similar holidays in the UK and Australia, and is in keeping with what is an historic event,” Ardern said.
Ardern will represent New Zealand, alongside the Governor General Cindy Kiro, at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in London next Monday. She will leave New Zealand on Wednesday and travel on to New York after the funeral for the United Nations General Assembly.
Normal Public Holiday requirements under the Holiday’s Act will apply and legislation will be passed next week to bring it into force. Australia's public holiday is on Thursday September 22.
59 Comments
Monday 26 September, the fourth Monday in September, is the ideal day to mark the death of the Queen and accession of the King. Rather than it be a one-off, the fourth Monday in September should be King's Day every year, replacing the Queen's Birthday Observance, which now shares June with Matariki at the tail of the first six months of the year littered with state holidays.
The fourth (but not the last, which might also be the fifth) Monday of September also handily falls on or just after the Spring Equinox marking the end of winter and lengthening of days, so when the monarchy is dispensed with King's Day would continue as Spring's Day.
South Canterbury's provincial holiday inconvenience is of no account: the provincial holidays are an anachronism, and should be consolidated into a national holiday in mid-January.
Making it the fourth Monday of September conveniently places it the day after the move to Daylight Saving, allowing those who struggle with it an extra day to adjust.
I do object to the single national day in mid-January though - in Hawkes Bay we get a 4-day Labour weekend.
I love the Queen and love the royals.
But I'm sure we can mourn or celebrate her life and service on a weekend, or in our own private ways.
Just because Aussies have a day off doesn't mean we need to act like sheep.
Ardern wants the glory but doesn't care the impact an unexpected day off has on casual workers, employers, logistics etc.
You'll probably have to determine if its an 'otherwise working' day. All my casual contracts defined that as working that weekday 3 out of 4 of the preceding weeks - if you're on a casual contract, you might want to check what it says.
AFAICT, it's contract specific (and I'm not a lawyer) - but it'd be very poor form for an employer to not pay you if it was otherwise a normal work day, even if casual.
(And yes, I've employed people and would've been happy to pay it - if your business is so tight you can't afford a 1 day long, 1-in-70 year event you've got some serious questions to ask as to its viability).
I will lose about $1200 in lost billable hours. For the death of a lady I've never met.
If its that important to you... and you are a perm worker... take a bereavement sick day.. that's what its for!
Celebrating the British monarchy is an archaic practice & its high time we gave it the boot. Only good for tabloid newspapers.
Scare monger much?
For disclosure - what segment would you fall in to with your quite strong views on the matter - an employer, employee or retiree (noting other reference to the 'wireless' did give me pause for thought too, unless you were being hipster in your vernacular)
Whether or not people use the day for reflection is irrelevant. The economic loss theory can be circular as many would use the day for recreation and spend more.
Working hours should decrease only after there is a proven and corresponding increase in productivity. Given the dismal productivity in NZ, a drop to 35 hours would only further impact the already low productivity, and cause inflation and loss of competitiveness in the international markets. Notwithstanding what the Greens (or Orr) may think, unfortunately there is no such a thing as a free lunch.
How many hundreds of millions of productive work has this eliminated on a whimsical but unnecessary sympathy measure,to grasp or garner a retake of 0.25% increase in the PM's softened popularity polling?
Throwing NZ 's money away at any opportunity for profiling.
Those of us who privately mourn the Queen's passing,are quite able to do so,and are doing so ,without penalising business,or casual staff or customers.
Certainly over the mourning period by the due date.
[Edited to remove the unnecessary smear. You can make your point without the personal insult. Ed.]
Another payroll theft from small businesses by the government. 95% of businesses in nz are smbs and are suffering from the same inflation ads everyone else. They can't afford to keep having their pockets picked. Labour will be voted out, and/or staff will be let go.
Labour has done untold damage to NZ economy. It will take years to fully unfold and ironically it will do far more long term damage to the poor that they promised to help (and who voted them i) - than the wealthy.
This is another example of a labour party foolish attempt to buy votes from the poor by giving them a free day off. Someone has to pay for the lost revenue and profit - to make sure the business owners make their profit goals. And it sure as eggs wont be the owners.
With all the (largely unwarranted IMO) disruption and harm to many businesses and kids schooling over the past two years or so (at least in Auckland), and those teacher's only days which could have occurred during lock down but no, parents had to scramble around again to find a carer, plus an additional public holiday thrown in, this is just another unnecessary disruption. Okay it is a one-off and the Queen was much loved but just give everyone a break from days off!
Cant figure out why official day off isnt Tues the 20th ...The Queens funeral is being held 11am 19th which would be about 10pm same day here..Folk that want to watch it could do so without having to worry about going to work on Tuesday ... Waits for all the folk that watched the funeral to call in sick...and get a long weekend...not very onto it are they?
I am a small business owner who will be taking a hit for this public holiday. But like many, they past couple of years have proven the most fruitful and an extra day off for myself and my employees will be a good rest before the pre-xmas craziness. While I feel for some sectors like hospitality, the bleating from many feels like plain old greed.
The slave traders are plying their wares in this comments section.
Work will set you free... (hopefully not a step to far ed, remove if it is.)
I still cannot see how a single day off going is going to bankrupt all these stunningly successful business people with their awesome business acumen, running highly profitable awesome businesses, who love their employees and are all about their wellbeing, and are just the most awesome boss... just ask their employees.
How about you quit your whining, pay some corporate tax, and let your employees have a day off after two years of slaving away overcoming all the hurdles you have, plus having to put up with you as their shit boss.
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