I wandered past my local garden centre on Sunday and it was open.

I thought that might be against the rules. But then again, I wasn't sure, because it was closed on Friday.

Is it supposed to be closed on Friday but it can open on Sunday?

Then, when we were out for dinner on Saturday I could order the beer because it wasn't Friday. Because on Friday I was told you had to have a meal to order alcohol, which then led to a discussion as to what a meal was.

Are chips a meal? And if you order a drink but want a second drink, does that mean you need to order another meal?

It was a ridiculous conversation. But then the rules surrounding Easter are ridiculous as well.

Oderings, the garden centre company based in Christchurch, gave up years ago and just opened when they want. Some years they got fined, and some years they didn't. When they do get fined, they're fined the maximum fine which is $1000. As you can imagine, for a garden centre it isn't exactly going to send them broke.

Thus, making the fine ridiculous as all the other rules around Easter.

Here's a simple question - Why does religious significance top anyone else's view? If Easter is important to you, why can't you observe it without inconvenience to everyone else?

Here’s my big thing. For me Anzac Day is a major. I am not particularly religious, but my family has been involved in war and the grandfather I never met is buried in Italy. He, along with his unit, was instrumental in saving a small town. They are honoured annually and are seen as heroes.

That is profoundly important to me, and Anzac Day as a result is the day that means more to me than any other.

But I don’t expect anyone else to know nor care about that.

I don’t need laws and inconvenience to give it any more reverence than I have already bestowed upon it for my own purposes.

I don’t expect anyone who doesn’t share my view …to change their ways or thinking because of me.

On the holiday this year that we will observe Anzac Day, the Monday turns out to be a day I am working …but that will not change how I feel about the day.

I don’t need a whole day off work to observe it, to think about it, to give it any level of gravitas. I can do that all by myself.

So if Easter is a big deal to you, make it a big deal, but don’t expect the rest of us to sit around twiddling our thumbs while you do.

The argument often used is it's only 3 and a half days. Can’t you go with just a bit of inconvenience?

Answer: Why on earth would we?

The same argument was applied to Sunday trading and weekend trading. The modern reality is life carries on, and so it should.

Laws are only good laws if we understand them, they’re adhered to, they’re effective, and they’re policed.

None of that applies to Easter.