New Zealand workers have a holiday on Good Friday (yesterday) and Easter Monday. Easter is a Christian holiday to remember when Jesus Christ was killed on the cross and came back to life again. This is called the resurrection.

Easter is a holy time and for this reason shops are closed on Good Friday and Easter Sunday. The only shops allowed to open are dairies, cafes, petrol stations and some shops in tourist towns like Queenstown. Shops also have to be closed on Christmas Day and the morning of ANZAC Day, that is three and a half days every year.

Some shop owners break the law. This year, inspectors found 17 shops open for business. These shop owners will probably have to pay a $1,000 fine. Usually the shops which break the law are garden centres. It is interesting that New Zealanders like to spend time in their garden when they have a holiday. They buy plants and other things for their gardens.