'Grinch' council bans two teenagers from selling Christmas trees
A New Zealand council has been labelled the ‘Grinch who stole Christmas’ after forcing two teenagers to stop selling trees at an intersection.
Auckland teens Sophie Magasiva, 18, and Elijah Andrews, 19, had been running the operation for the past three years without a hitch, but their enterprise was shut down yesterday because they didn’t have a permit to sell the trees.
The pair had been operating the business by themselves, obtaining the trees from the supplier and selling them in Western Springs since November 30.
“Auckland Council came up to me and said they had a complaint about our stall and our signage is a distraction to road users,” Ms Magasiva told the New Zealand Herald.
“If anything, we’ve actually moved back from the kerb. We used to be quite close to the kerb and to the roundabout, but we’ve moved further back.
“We usually have a couple of signs but I think it’s a bit extreme to say our signs were a distraction.”
Auckland Council’s compliance response team manager Max Wilde told the newspaper the issue was the number of signs the pair had put out.
“On arrival council staff counted about 10 signs, including one on the roundabout that was restricting the view to oncoming traffic,” Mr Wilde said.
Under the street trading rules, sellers are allowed two signs to advertise their stalls.
He said the council official told the young entrepreneurs they would need to reduce the number of signs at the intersection, before inquiring if they had a licence to be selling on the council intersection.
When the pair said they did not have the required permit, they were asked to pack up shop and move to the driveway of their own property nearby.
“People selling Christmas trees on their own property do not need to be licensed under the Trading and Events in Public Places Bylaw,” Mr Wilde said.
“We understand these young people are trying to be enterprising, however, we still need to ensure public safety.”
Mr Wilde told the New Zealand Herald that council staff have offered to help the teens apply for a licence and find a “more suitable location” to continue selling their trees.
