Trade Aid welcomes the Governments’ announcement that reform to modern slavery legislation will be imminent, and hopes that firm action on this commitment to introduce a bill to Parliament will be prioritised to the short-term.

Trade Aid CEO Geoff White says modern slavery legislation is long overdue in New Zealand.

“I am very pleased the government has decided to move forward with the drafting of a Modern Slavery Bill, it has been a long time in the making. Trade Aid first presented a petition to Parliament to stop slavery in 1996, again in 2007 and finally in 2021. In our 50th year of operation this certainly feels like a birthday present,” he says.

On Friday, the Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Carmel Sepuloni, announced a modern slavery law, requiring businesses with at least $20 million in annual revenue to report on the risks of modern slavery in their supply chains. Those who do not meet disclosure requirements can face substantial financial penalties.

“On the whole Kiwis want a fair society. We thank New Zealanders and the business community who have spoken loud and clear in support of this legislation and we welcome the Government taking action,” says Geoff White.

Over the past two years, 100+ businesses have stepped up to call for change, 37,000 Kiwis signed World Vision and Trade Aid’s 2021 petition calling for law reform and 5,600 Kiwis made submissions during the Governments Public Consultation in 2022.

“In this area Aotearoa New Zealand has been lagging behind international markets. It will increasingly impact New Zealand’s ability to successfully trade if Kiwi businesses do not start having processes in place to address modern slavery in their supply chains. We look forward to meaningful legislation that helps our business community to eliminate the risk of modern slavery in our supply chains,” he says.

To make a real difference reporting is not enough. Trade Aid supports due diligence requirements being a priority of the legislation and wants to see a time frame commitment to legislation formally introduced, which is unlikely to be until 2024.

Trade Aid’s journey towards a Modern Slavery Act so far:

1993. Trade Aid campaigned against working conditions in Asian factories (this at a time when New Zealand companies Wattie’s and General Foods had factories in Thailand). Prompted by the deaths of 188 workers in a Thai factory where popular Bart Simpson and Garfield toys were made, the campaign widened its scope to publicise the dismal safety record of large multinational companies drawn to developing countries by cheap labour and low or unenforceable health and safety standards.

1996. Stop Child Slavery. Trade Aid presents a 14,000 signature petition to Parliament calling for an end to bonded child labour in the hand-knotted carpet industry in South Asia. The international campaign succeeded in establishing the international RugMark (now GoodWeave) label used to authenticate rugs that are made without child labour.

2007. Trade Aid presents a 17,000 signature petition to parliament as part of the ‘Slavery Still Exists’ campaign, calling for legislation banning the importation of products made by slave labour.

March 2021. Trade Aid, World Vision & Walk Free present an Open Letter signed by 100+ New Zealand businesses asking the Government to consider modern slavery legislation in New Zealand. Trade Aid & World Vision launch a petition calling for modern slavery legislation to be passed in New Zealand.

June 2021. 37,000+ New Zealanders sign the petition asking for government to enact a Modern Slavery Act. Trade Aid & World Vision hand the petition to the Honourable Michael Wood.

June 2021. The petition is presented to the House of Representatives. The Government establish the Modern Slavery Leadership Advisory Group (MSLAG), which Trade Aid is part of, to support and inform effective legislation for New Zealand.

September 2021. World Vision & Trade Aid make written submissions to the Petitions Committee in support of the public petition. The Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) submission confirms that the Government has committed to a public consultation in 2022.

November 2021. Trade Aid, World Vision, the Human Rights Commission & MBIE present Oral Submissions to the Petitions Committee.

February 2022. The Petitions Committee recommends that "the Government bring legislation addressing modern slavery before the House as soon as possible."

April 2022. The New Zealand Government open public consultation on proposed legislation. Trade Aid helps do the call out for kiwis to participate.

June 2022. Public consultation closes. 5,600 submissions are made in overall support of legislation.

15 September 2022. MBIE releases a Summary of Feedback on public consultation submissions received. 90% of submitters support a requirement for all entities to "take reasonable and proportionate action" to address modern slavery. The Summary of Feedback is presented to Minister Wood.

December 2022. Minister Wood indicates that the Government expects to introduce a modern slavery bill before the end of the current term of government.

March 2023. World Vision commissions an independent poll from Talbot Mills Research showing that 81% of New Zealanders support the introduction of legislation that requires businesses to verify that there are no signs of modern slavery in their supply chains.

June 2023. The Global Slavery Risk Index 2023 by Walk Free releases. An estimated 8,000 people are living in slavery in Aotearoa right now. This is an increase from 3,000 in the 2018 report.

According to the report, “the countries in control of the world’s wealthiest economies are importing almost US$468 billion worth of products at risk of being made with forced labour. What’s more – they are failing to meet their duties to protect the most vulnerable, as over half the world’s population of people living in modern slavery are found within G20 countries.”

29 million people living in slavery are in the Asia Pacific, the major area New Zealand companies operate, trade, or have supply chains with.

The top industries most at risk of G20 countries importing goods using forced labour are:

Electronics 
Garments
Palm Oil
Solar Panels
Textiles
Timber
Fish
Gold
Cattle
Sugarcane
Coffee
Cocoa
Rice
Coal

June 2023. World Vision, with research carried out by Kantar Public, releases Risky Business: A Modern Slavery Risk Profile of Aotearoa New Zealand Businesses. According to the report, nearly half (45%) of New Zealand businesses have little or no visibility of where their products are coming from beyond their direct suppliers, heightening the risk of importing products produced with modern slavery.

When there are now

50 million people trapped in slavery worldwide

, including 27 million in the private economy (supply chains we use) and an estimated 3,000 in New Zealand.

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