David Seymour says Government-recognised public holidays are emblematic of a "fascist state", claiming New Zealand should dump all but two of them.
"I don't think the Government needs to tell people when to have a holiday and when to celebrate things," he said in Parliament on Wednesday.
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"I certainly don't think that we should be rushing to introduce new holidays such as Matariki. We live in a society of people who can make their own choices."
The ACT leader said if people want to celebrate certain days of the year, they should be free to - but using their own annual leave.
"I'm not into the Government telling people how to use their annual leave. What is this, a fascist state?"
He described Christmas as "a statutory holiday the Government's legislated", and said there are only two public holidays worth keeping.
"Two things that bind all New Zealanders together are Waitangi Day - because that was the constitutional basis of the country - and Anzac Day, because that's when New Zealanders went and fought to make sure those freedoms were real."
Mr Seymour says he's open to a discussion around Matariki replacing Queen's Birthday, but says individual Kiwis should make the decision, not the Government.
"New Zealand has a range of people with different religions and cultures," he said.
"I don't think that the Government needs to be in the business of making laws to tell people what they should value and when they should value it."
Newshub.
