Can I Require Staff to Work on Good Friday in New Zealand?

Good Friday can create a real staffing headache for New Zealand businesses. You may need people on the floor, customer demand may still be there, and your employment agreements might say ordinary public holiday rules apply. The problem is that Good Friday is not just any public holiday. It also sits inside New Zealand’s shop trading restrictions, and that is where employers often get caught.

Common mistakes include assuming you can roster staff on because your business usually trades, relying on a broad availability clause without checking the employee’s agreement, and forgetting that public holiday pay rules still apply even if the employee agrees to work. Another frequent issue is pushing staff to accept shifts on a restricted trading day without checking whether your premises can legally open in the first place.

This guide answers the practical question business owners ask every Easter: can I require staff to work on Good Friday in New Zealand? It explains when you can roster work, when employee agreement matters, what pay and alternative holiday obligations may apply, and the legal points to sort out before you sign contracts or issue rosters.

Overview

You cannot treat Good Friday like an ordinary trading day or an ordinary rostered shift. Whether you can require staff to work depends on two layers of rules: employment law about working on public holidays, and trading restrictions that may stop some businesses from opening at all.

• Check whether your business is legally allowed to open on Good Friday.
• Review the employee’s employment agreement, roster pattern and availability terms.
• Confirm whether the day would otherwise be a working day for that employee.
• Make sure pay, time and a half, and alternative holiday entitlements are handled correctly.
• Avoid pressuring staff into working where the contract does not clearly support it.
• Document any agreement about shifts, especially for part-time, casual or variable-hours staff.

What Can I Require Staff to Work on Good Friday Means For New Zealand Businesses

The short answer is this: sometimes yes, sometimes no. You may be able to require work on Good Friday if your business can lawfully open and the employee’s contract and work pattern support it, but you cannot simply assume every staff member must turn up because it suits the business.

Good Friday is a public holiday

Under New Zealand employment law, Good Friday is a public holiday. If an employee works on a public holiday, they are generally entitled to at least time and a half for the hours worked. If the day would otherwise have been a working day for that employee, they are also usually entitled to an alternative holiday.

That means the staffing decision is not just about attendance. It also affects payroll, leave balances and the wording of communications with employees.

Good Friday also has shop trading restrictions

This is the extra layer many employers miss. Good Friday is one of the restricted shop trading days in New Zealand. Some businesses are not allowed to open, while some are exempt or may trade because of their type of business, location or a local Easter Sunday policy for that area, although Easter Sunday is a separate day with its own rules.

For Good Friday, the first question is not whether a worker can be required to work. It is whether the business can legally trade from those premises on that day. If the shop must remain closed, there may be no lawful shift to require in the first place.

Businesses that may be exempt from restricted trading rules can include certain essential or specified operations, but the exemptions are technical. Before you rely on an assumption, confirm your position for your premises and business activity.

Can you require work if the business is allowed to open?

If the business can lawfully open, the next question is the employment relationship. In many cases, an employer can require an employee to work on Good Friday if the employee’s employment agreement provides for work on public holidays, or the employee is rostered in line with agreed availability and the day falls within their normal working pattern.

That said, the answer depends heavily on what was agreed before you hired the worker or before you changed their hours. A broad statement that the employee may work weekends or public holidays is more helpful when it is supported by clear written terms, a clear roster system, expected hours, and a role that genuinely requires holiday coverage.

This is where founders often get caught. They rely on a verbal understanding, or they hire quickly and use a vague agreement that does not clearly address public holiday work. If the clause is unclear, trying to force attendance can create a dispute.

What about employees who do not usually work Fridays?

If Good Friday is not otherwise a working day for that employee, the legal outcome may differ. They might still agree to work, but the alternative holiday entitlement may not arise if the day would not otherwise have been a working day. You still need to pay the correct public holiday rate if they work.

For part-time and variable-hours staff, deciding whether Good Friday is an otherwise working day can be more complicated. You may need to look at factors such as:

• the employee’s employment agreement
• their actual work pattern over time
• the roster issued for that period
• whether there was a clear expectation they would work that day
• whether similar Fridays are usually worked

If the work pattern is irregular, avoid making a snap call. This is often worth checking carefully before payroll is processed.

Can employees refuse?

Some can, yes. If there is no contractual basis to require work on Good Friday, or if the employee is not normally available or rostered to work that day, a refusal may not be misconduct. An employer who treats every refusal as insubordination risks escalating a staffing issue into a personal grievance.

Even where the contract supports public holiday work, employers still need to act fairly and reasonably. Last-minute roster changes, unclear instructions, and pressure tactics are common flashpoints.

For practical purposes, many businesses handle Good Friday best by making expectations clear well before Easter, checking contracts before the roster is published, and getting written confirmation where there is any doubt.

Legal Issues To Check Before You Sign

The safest time to sort this out is before you sign the employment agreement or before you rely on a standard form contract. If you wait until the Easter roster is disputed, your options narrow quickly.

1. Employment agreement wording

The agreement should clearly state the employee’s hours, availability and whether public holiday work may be required. If the role includes weekend, evening or holiday coverage, say so plainly.

Clauses that often matter include:

• ordinary hours of work
• roster and shift flexibility provisions
• availability or on-call arrangements
• public holiday expectations
• overtime or penal rate provisions where relevant
• variation procedures for changing hours

If your contract says nothing useful about holiday work, it is harder to insist on attendance later. Before you hire your first worker, or before you update a growing team’s contracts, this is one of the key clauses to get right.

2. Whether the employee is actually covered by the roster pattern

A lawful clause still needs to fit the actual arrangement. For example, if a café employee usually works every Friday and the agreement allows rostered public holiday work, you may have a stronger basis for requiring work on Good Friday, assuming the business can open. If a bookkeeper works Monday to Thursday and has never worked a Friday, the answer may be very different.

Written rosters, established patterns and past practice all matter. Before you rely on a verbal promise, check whether the paperwork and the real-world pattern match.

3. Restricted shop trading rules

If your business trades from retail premises, confirm whether Good Friday trading is prohibited, exempt or otherwise permitted. This is especially relevant for shops, stores inside mixed-use premises, hospitality businesses that also retail goods, and operators in malls or leased commercial sites where centre rules may also apply.

Before you open, check:

• the nature of your business and whether any exemption applies
• the specific premises you intend to open
• lease requirements or centre management conditions
• whether your planned activity is retail trading or another service
• whether staffing is needed for non-trading functions only

A business might be able to do some internal work, cleaning or stock tasks without opening for retail trade, but that does not automatically mean you can require every employee to attend. You still need a proper employment basis for the shift.

4. Public holiday pay and alternative holidays

If staff work on Good Friday, payroll needs to be right. The main issues to confirm are:

• time and a half for hours actually worked
• whether the day is an otherwise working day
• whether an alternative holiday is owed
• how salaried staff will be treated in practice
• how records of hours and leave will be kept

Errors here can become expensive if repeated across several employees. If you are unsure about payroll treatment, get employment advice and speak with your payroll provider or accountant on the calculation side.

5. Good faith and fair process

New Zealand employment relationships are governed by good faith obligations. That does not stop an employer from requiring work where the contract allows it, but it does mean you should communicate clearly, act consistently, and avoid unreasonable pressure.

Good practice usually includes:

• giving notice of Easter trading intentions early
• publishing rosters with reasonable lead time
• inviting employees to raise conflicts or concerns
• responding consistently across the team
• documenting agreed changes in writing

Fair process matters most when staff have caring commitments, religious observance, or genuine confusion about whether they were obliged to work. A clear, respectful process reduces the chance of a grievance.

6. Casual, fixed-term and contractor arrangements

Do not assume every worker is treated the same. Casual employees may not have an ongoing obligation to accept shifts, depending on how the relationship is structured in practice. Fixed-term employees still need proper contractual wording and genuine reasons for the term. Contractors are different again, but misclassifying staff as contractors to avoid public holiday obligations creates a much bigger problem.

Before you classify someone as a contractor, check whether they are really running an independent business. If they work like an employee, calling them a contractor will not remove employment law risk.

Common Mistakes With Can I Require Staff to Work on Good Friday

The main risk is not one dramatic legal issue. It is a series of small assumptions that add up to a payroll problem, a staff complaint, or a compliance breach.

Assuming every business can open

Many founders focus on the roster first and the trading rules second. On Good Friday, that order should be reversed. If your premises cannot legally trade, the staffing plan may collapse immediately.

Using vague contracts

A contract that says the employee will work “as required” is often too loose to settle a real dispute. Clear contract drafting is much better than broad wording when public holiday work may be required.

Terms should line up with the actual role. If your business depends on holiday trading, make that expectation obvious before the employee accepts the job.

Treating refusal as misconduct too quickly

Not every refusal is disobedience. If the legal basis for requiring work is weak, disciplinary action can backfire.

Pause before starting a formal process. Check the contract, the roster history, and whether the employee had a real obligation to work that day.

Getting the pay wrong

Public holiday errors often arise when businesses use manual payroll adjustments, especially for staff with fluctuating hours. Missing time and a half or failing to give an alternative holiday can become a wider wage compliance issue.

Ignoring part-time and variable-hours complexity

For employees who do not work a fixed weekly pattern, the question of whether Good Friday is an otherwise working day is often not obvious. Employers sometimes apply a blanket rule across all staff, which is risky.

Different workers can have different entitlements on the same public holiday. That is normal.

Relying on verbal arrangements

A manager may believe a staff member “always agreed” to cover Easter. If that arrangement is not reflected in the contract, the roster system, or written messages, it may be difficult to enforce.

Before you sign, and before you accept the provider's standard terms if you are using outsourced HR documents, make sure the wording matches your actual operating model.

Forgetting lease or site restrictions

Retailers in shopping centres and shared commercial sites may face additional operating rules. Even where trading is lawful, centre access, security, loading or fitout conditions may affect whether staff can work. Review your lease and site requirements before publishing Easter rosters.

FAQs

Can I force an employee to work on Good Friday?

Only if your business can lawfully operate that day and the employee’s contract and working arrangement support a requirement to work. If the agreement is unclear or the employee is not normally rostered for that day, forcing the issue is risky.

Do I have to pay extra if staff work on Good Friday?

Yes, employees who work on Good Friday are generally entitled to at least time and a half for the hours worked. Some employees will also be entitled to an alternative holiday if Good Friday would otherwise be a working day for them.

What if my employee is part-time or works irregular hours?

You need to assess whether Good Friday is an otherwise working day by looking at the contract, roster pattern and actual work history. Do not assume the answer is the same for every worker.

Can my shop open on Good Friday?

Some businesses can, but many retail premises are affected by restricted shop trading rules. You should confirm whether your business and premises are allowed to trade before rostering staff on.

What should I put in my employment agreements for future years?

Include clear terms about hours, roster flexibility, public holiday work, availability and how changes to shifts will be managed. The wording should reflect how the role really operates, not just a generic template.

Key Takeaways

• Good Friday is a public holiday in New Zealand, and it also sits within restricted shop trading rules for many businesses.
• You can only require staff to work if the business can lawfully operate and the employment agreement and working arrangement support that requirement.
• Employees who work on Good Friday generally must receive at least time and a half, and some will also get an alternative holiday.
• Part-time, casual and variable-hours workers need closer review because their entitlements and obligations may differ.
• Clear contracts, early roster communication and accurate payroll treatment are the practical steps that reduce disputes.
• Before you sign contracts or issue Easter rosters, check trading restrictions, roster history, pay obligations and any lease or site rules.

If you want help with employment agreements, public holiday pay obligations, roster and availability terms, restricted trading compliance, you can reach us on 0800 002 184 or team@sprintlaw.co.nz for a free, no-obligations chat.