New Zealand’s Labour Party has drafted new modern slavery legislation, criticising the current government for failing to follow through on its promises to tackle modern slavery.
Last week, MP Camilla Belich announced she will lodge a Private Members Bill, the Modern Slavery Act 2025, which seeks to address modern slavery in supply chains and restart a process that has stalled.
The Bill – which aims to create a “fit-for-purpose statutory framework to support actions taken to combat modern slavery” – would lead to the appointment of an Anti-Slavery Commissioner to oversee efforts, while introducing mandatory modern slavery reporting for large businesses (with more than $50 million in annual revenue) alongside fines of up to NZ$200,000 for failure to report.
Human trafficking would also see significant penalties, with up to 20 years imprisonment and fines of NZ$500,000 for trafficking minors.
Belich criticised Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, stating that he once vowed to “march in the street against modern slavery” yet no “meaningful action or leadership” has taken place in the 18 months since the Coalition came to power.
She emphasised that the Bill is the result of bipartisan collaboration, drawing upon expertise from the Modern Slavery and Trafficking Expert Practitioners Group (MSTEP).
“Labour will tackle the exploitation of people in our country and abroad. The Bill sets out clear steps for New Zealand to take a stand against modern slavery, it’s well overdue,” said Belich.
“Last year, Chris Hipkins wrote to Christopher Luxon offering bipartisan agreement on the issue – but there has been no response so Labour is taking action.
“It seems the Coalition Government is comfortable with modern slavery happening in New Zealand and in our supply chains.
“Not only does it show where National’s moral compass really is, it also puts at risk our free trade agreements with the UK and the EU, where we signed up to take action.”
As previously reported by PASA, the Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA) and the Investors Against Slavery and Trafficking Asia Pacific (IAST APAC) warned that New Zealand could become a “dumping ground” for unethical products.
According to the two organisations, New Zealand imported an estimated $7.9 billion of risky goods in 2022 that were associated with child and forced labour, representing 10 percent of total imports that year. This equates to an average household spend of about $77 each week on such goods.
“If we do not act, we risk being left behind by other countries that are already putting in place measures to combat modern slavery. This Government should put its money where its mouth is and do what’s best for people and business,” added Belich.
A similar Private Members Bill from National MP Greg Fleming is currently in the parliamentary ballot, which would require businesses to report on modern slavery risks in their operations and supply chains.
World Vision’s Head of Advocacy and Justice, Rebekah Armstrong, says there are aspects of both bills that are very similar, which shows that MPs from both sides of the house want legislative change to combat forced labour, worker exploitation, child labour and trafficking.
“We’re thrilled to see support from both National and Labour for robust modern slavery legislation, but we can’t understand why they won’t work together to legislate on an issue they both fundamentally agree on,” she said.
“We want to see our politicians doing the right thing, rather than scoring political points. We want to see them come together to actually pass a Modern Slavery Act, not just talk about it! This could be the reality if National and Labour agreed to both back the same bill.”
