The country’s National Anzac Day Commemoration Service in Wellington has been canceled due to strong winds buffeting the capital.
The Ministry for Culture and Heritage said the “unfortunate” decision to cancel the 11am event at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park had been made for the health and safety of veterans, visitors and guests.
The Atatürk Memorial Wreath-laying Service in Strathmore this afternoon has also been cancelled.
It follows the gathering at dawn services this morning of Military veterans, joined by those still serving and the public at cenotaphs from the Far North to the Deep South.
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The day of remembrance falls on the anniversary of the landing on the now Turkish peninsula of Gallipoli by New Zealand and Australian troops in 1915, part of an ultimately unsuccessful military campaign for the Allies which cost 130,000 lives over 10 months, among them 2779 Kiwis.
In our largest city, the Anzac Day Dawn Service began at 6am at the Auckland War Memorial Museum in the Auckland Domain, while Vector lights on the Auckland Harbor Bridge were lit in poppy-red.
Free remembrance tours would be open to the public until 5pm, and those looking to the sky today might spot the New Zealand Warbirds Association doing a flyover with their trademark billowing smoke.
Settled weather is expected across the city today, where dozens of Anzac Day events are planned, with cloud expected to clear to sunshine by this afternoon, and temperatures ranging from a low of 14C to a high of 20C.
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Similar conditions are expected across the North Island, but MetService said rain would dominate further south in Queenstown and Invercargill.
Conditions were changeable in other main centres, with Wellington tipped for isolated showers in the morning and a high of 17C. Christchurch should see a mainly fine day with a high of 22C and Dunedin should start with some cloud and a high of 18C.
Around the middle of the country; in Wellington, Kāpiti Coast, Marlborough, and exposed parts of inland Otago, Southland and the Canterbury High Country, gales were forecast with several wind watches and warnings in place.
What’s open, what’s not and when you have to pay a surcharge
By Kymberlee Gomes of RNZ
On Anzac Day, most shops need to stay closed until 1pm.
There are just three and a half days a year on which the Shop Trading Hours Act 1990 prevents most shopping: Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Christmas Day and the first half of Anzac Day.
What’s open?
Exemptions apply to a few places, which are allowed to open:
- certain kinds of shops – limited to small grocery shops, pharmacies, service stations, takeaways, bars, cafes, duty-free stores, shops providing services (and not selling things), real estate agencies, public transport terminals, souvenir shops and exhibitions “ devoted entirely or primarily to agriculture, art, industry and science”.
- select places such as the Carnegie Center in Dunedin or Mariners Mall in Picton, among others, if a cruise ship is in port (full list here). Shops covered by area exemptions cannot change them and no new exemptions can be granted.
Shops without exemptions must stay closed on the first half of April 25.
Mondayisation does not affect shop trading restrictions because they apply only to the calendar date of Anzac Day.
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Retailers can be fined up to $1000 if they open illegally.
Some bars, cafes and restaurants can sell alcohol, as long as it is accompanied by a meal.
Surcharges
Cafes and restaurants can choose to add a surcharge for opening on the morning of Anzac Day.
The surcharge covered the additional cost of wages on a public holiday, Restaurant Association chief executive Marisa Bidois said.
“Typically, surcharges range from 10-15 per cent.
“Some businesses incorporate the extra costs of operating on public holidays into their annual operating expenses. This approach allows them to spread the recovery of these costs over the course of the year, rather than imposing a surcharge specifically on public holidays,” Bidois said.
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Whether cafes opened on Anzac Day morning would depend on their location and customer habits.
“To avoid surprises, diners should confirm whether a surcharge applies either ahead of time or upon arrival. Most establishments will inform customers of any additional fees through visible signage.”
The Commerce Commission has also said establishments must make it well-known to customers that a surcharge will be payable before they decide to buy or engage the service.
“It must be clearly disclosed, for example, by adding information to their website for online sales or placing a sign outside,” the commission says on its website.
“In addition, the reason for any surcharge must be accurately described and must not be capable of misleading consumers. The surcharge should not exceed those costs, and the costs should actually be incurred by the business.”
Tags: Anzac Day live updates National Commemoration Service canceled due strong winds
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