Dunedin North MP David Clark is thrilled the Anzac Day public holiday will be transferred to next Monday, allowing people to spend quality time with friends and family.
He is urging people to travel to spend time with elderly relatives and friends, even if they were not returned service people, because of their strong ties to those who served in World War 1.
''I am delighted people can get time to spend with family and friends and enjoy the freedoms the Anzacs fought for.''
Dr Clark was instrumental in getting a law through Parliament ''Mondayising'' Anzac Day and Waitangi Day if they fell at a weekend.
Until the law changed, Anzac Day, which this year falls on Saturday, was taken on the day it fell.
Under the new law, a public holiday will be held on the Monday closest to the actual day.
Dr Clark said the only significant survey carried out on businesses found most were neutral or supportive about the changes.
Gallaway Cook Allan Lawyers consultant Geoff Bevan said Mondayising holidays was not new.
It was what happened with the Christmas and New Year holidays already.
However, businesses that shut down over the entire new period might be dealing with the issue for the first time.
The main change was that businesses that opened on a Saturday would probably now have staff observing Anzac Day on different days.
''This isn't rocket science, but it does make things slightly more complicated.''
If the employees ordinarily worked on Saturday, April 25, they observed Anzac Day on April 25.
They either had a paid holiday or, if they worked, they received time and a-half and a day in lieu.
If they did not normally work and did not actually work on the Saturday, they did not get paid anything for the day but got a paid holiday on Monday April 27.
If they worked then, they got time and a-half and a day in lieu.
''The key is to be clear about when each of your staff observe Anzac Day and keep a good record of when they do or don't work and what they get paid.''
There was one potential catch for businesses opening on Saturday but wanting to close on Monday, Mr Bevan said.
In theory, an employee who ordinarily worked on both Saturday and Monday might try claiming an extra day's ordinary pay for the Monday on the basis they were ready and willing to work.
However, those types of problems would be fairly few and far between, he said.
The Otago Chamber of Commerce said in a memo to members employees working the Anzac Saturday and the Monday could not ''double dip''.
They would be paid for Anzac Saturday as a public holiday with its entitlements but Monday would be a regular wage.
