This year marked the fourth time the Monday following Anzac Day has been observed as a public holiday since rules changed in 2014 to provide an additional day off when it falls on a weekend.
The former soldier, now a real estate agent, took to social media on April 27 to express his opposition to the extra day off.
“The Mondayisation of ANZAC day is due to the woke ideology of the MPs who passed it into legislation,” he said.
“The ANZACs would be turning in their graves if they knew this rubbish was happening. They never gave up their lives for their day to be disrespected by the government and rubbish like this to happen.”
Rolleston RSA president Mark Richards said he did not believe the extra day diminished the meaning of Anzac Day.
“I do not think it belittles Anzac Day because you are still focused on the day.”
In comments responding to Shefford’s post, there were mixed reactions.
“Personally, I don’t see it as woke at all. Many people still have to work on ANZAC Day – the Monday gives a lot of them a chance to have the day off and give their own respect to those who went before us,” Steve Collins commented.
Said Doug Francis: “As a vet, I think that day has been given an excuse to soften the meaning and it will, over time, be just another day off! Leave it as it’s meant to be.”
Said Alex Fletcher: “I prefer having a consistent number of days off per year. Before the legislation changed, we were defrauded one stat day, potentially two, depending on whether Anzac and Waitangi Day fell on a weekend.
“Dawn services are always observed on Anzac Day itself, and our national day of remembrance has never been diminished.”
On Anzac Day, Shefford was the guest speaker at Lincoln’s service.
He joined the army after high school and was based at Waiouru and later Burnham. While serving, he trained as a cook and completed deployments in Suai, East Timor, in 2001 and Bamyan province, Afghanistan, in 2005.
Shefford told Selwyn Times the public holiday is intended to allow people to attend services, and an additional day off is unnecessary.
Shefford is no stranger to controversy, having run on the Donald Trump-esque slogan “Make Selwyn great again” during last year’s election campaign.
“To be fair, I’m in line with him around the no woke bulls**t, getting rid of the red tape, look after the locals first – that’s basically what I stand for,” Shefford said at the time.
He said the extra day off also adds costs for businesses, which must either close or pay staff time-and-a-half and provide a day in lieu.
