The private member's bill came from small business spokesman Chris Baillee. It sought to give retailers more choice over whether they operate during the religious holiday.

Baillie said his bill would also look after workers by keeping existing employee protections in respect of Easter Sunday, and extend these protections to Good Friday.

Initially, the Labour-majority government indicated its members would treat the bill as a personal vote.

"We will be opposing the bill," Robertson said.

"I think there can be a few days in our calendar that focus on spending time with families and not putting pressure on people going out to work."

Other parties treated the proposal as a "conscience" issue, allowing politicians to make personal votes.

National Party leader Christopher Luxon said he supported the bill. He said it has strong support from the retail sector.

Currently retailers have to close on both Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

A bill needs a majority of the 120 MPs to pass. As Labour has a majority, only bills it supports can pass.

Parliament has had many similar debates about whether strict Easter trading rules should be relaxed.

In 2016 Parliament responded to the Easter trading law reform debate by giving councils the power to create a policy to allow shops to trade on Easter Sunday.

Source

• NZ Herald

Born and raised Catholic, McAnulty likes Pope Francis but says his regular relationship with the Church is a little strained.

"The marriage equality debates started and I just felt that the Church at the time didn't reflect my values.

"So I do things personally now, just take time out to reflect and all that sort of stuff", he told The Listener's Michele Hewitson

These days he's more of an Easter and Christmas Mass attender.

Despite being pro-marriage equality, the 35-year-old, MP says he believes in marriage and cannot wait to have kids, but that his god is "more in line with what Pope Francis has been saying than the blokes before him."

McAnulty admits he is cautious about talking about his faith, qualifying the comment saying it is not that it is un-Labour to do so.

"You go to South Auckland and tell Labour people that religion and Labour don't go hand in hand. [Michael Joseph] Savage talked about Labour as Christianity in action," he told Hewitson.

As well as liberal on marriage equality, McAnulty also supported the cannabis and euthanasia referenda.

McAnulty's view on ethical matters is more akin to Biden's view on abortion; he is not keen to impose his personal beliefs on others.

"God doesn't decide when people die," Hewitson asked.

"Not everyone believes in God and society needs a structure that allows people to pursue their own personal beliefs," he told Hewitson.

Hewitson, a supporter of the Masterton A&P Show, decided to put his ‘imposing personal belief' mantra to the test.

Hewitson asks if he would help save the A&P Show from its death throes.

He says ‘no' because he has long held the view that it should amalgamate with the Wairarapa show!

Despite some murmurings about the possibility of a ministerial post, McAnulty was given the job of Chief Government Whip.

He says he got the job he wanted.

"I have spent 12 years trying to win this seat, and I can't think of any other job where you would spend that long trying to get it and, as soon as you get it, start looking for another job.

"I want to keep this seat for as long as I want to do this job and I want to do a ….load for the region.

"But I won't be able to do that if I'm off doing ministerial …. straight away."

Source

• The Listener

Labour's Palmerston North MP Iain Lees-Galloway has taken over responsibility for the End of Life Choice Bill after sponsor Maryan Street failed to get re-elected in September.

Little said he supported legalising euthanasia but he would rather the bill was not returned to the ballot.

"The challenge for the next three years is for us to emphasise issues of priority to a broad cross-section of New Zealanders and I'm not sure [euthanasia] is one of them. Continue reading

The policy paper targets believers of every stripe including Christians, and says the Party "recognises the importance of preserving the heritage of Christianity in New Zealand and acknowledges this as an important part of New Zealand's cultural identity".

The paper also makes mention of the role played by Bishop Pompallier at the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi to ensure "the several faiths (beliefs) of England, of the Wesleyans, of Rome, and also Maori custom shall alike be protected".

According to the 2006 Census there are a total of more than 2 million Christians in New Zealand or 53.6% of the total population, 204,000 non-Christians or 5.4%, and 1.3 million people with no religion or 34.3%, with the remaining 7% of people either not stating, or refusing to answer or declare their status on religion.

Read the Labour Party's Policy paper "Interfaith Dialogue"

Image: Marist Studies.org.