When are shops open on ANZAC Day? Which ones?

ANZAC Day happens every year – but you'd be forgiven for forgetting which shops are allowed to open and when.

This Thursday is unique in the calendar year, with retail settings completely changing in the afternoon.

Before 1pm, ANZAC Day is a "restricted trading day" like Christmas Day, Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

But at 1pm, that all changes and restrictions lift - although the entire day is a public holiday.

So what does that mean for your plans this week?

Only a limited selection of shops can open on restricted trading days – so, before 1pm on Thursday.

The general rules are the same as on Good Friday: Shops that can open with conditions include dairies, service stations and cafes, while pharmacies can open without any conditions.

What are the conditions? The main one is that "the goods you sell are items people can't put off buying until the next day".

So a dairy can sell you milk, bread, baby formula or pet food.

Supermarkets will be closed and so will liquor stores.

Any bars, cafes or restaurants that are open can only serve alcohol if it's with a meal.

Shops that provide a service, like hairdressers, are OK to open for business — but they can't sell you goods, like a bottle of dye.

Duty free stores can open as long as they only sell duty free items, so you're in luck if you're flying international on Thursday morning.

Real estate agencies are also OK to open because "real estate does not fit within the definition of goods as defined by the Act".

Owners are advised to check the conditions here if in doubt.

There are pretty much none: Usual public holiday practice applies.

Like over Easter, there are a number of area exemptions that leave some places unrestricted all day.

For example, Paihia in the Far North has an exemption that was granted in 1981.

It means business as usual for retailers there as soon as 7am ticks over.

The Queenstown district is also exempt from restricted trading day rules – but only from 12pm, an hour earlier than most of the country.

Be sure to check here if in doubt – especially because having an ANZAC Day exemption one year doesn't necessarily mean you have it every year. Tairua only gets an exemption when ANZAC Day falls on a Friday or a Monday.

Retail NZ and Employment NZ also lay out the complete rules for buyers and sellers online.

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