The Combatting Trafficking in Persons and Modern Day Forms of Slavery Bill was released today by the Modern Slavery and Trafficking Expert Practitioners Group (MSTEP), which includes criminal and regulatory barrister Jacob Parry, ANZ’s ESG Lead Rebecca Kingi, and World Vision’s Head of Advocacy and Justice Rebekah Armstrong.

The bill provides a comprehensive framework to enhance enforcement, protect victims, and establish a reporting requirement for New Zealand companies so that they disclose actions to address and mitigate modern slavery in their operations and supply chains.

The bill incorporates recommendations recently accepted by the Australian Government in a review of their Modern Slavery Act. If enacted, it would align requirements for businesses operating on both sides of the Tasman.

World Vision’s Head of Advocacy and Justice, Rebekah Armstrong, says the bill has been designed to achieve broad political consensus, while strengthening the legal framework to combat trafficking in persons and modern slavery in New Zealand. 

“Taking steps to address modern slavery is not something that should be politically contentious. We hope all parties will unite to end the trafficking of children, forced labour, and exploitative working conditions including in New Zealand.”

The bill has been drafted so that it could progress via co-sponsorship from New Zealand’s two major political parties, National and Labour.

Armstrong says it represents a pragmatic solution that balances diverse perspectives.

The draft bill specifically details:

* Mandatory requirements for entities with a revenue over $50 million to report on efforts to identify, address and mitigate modern slavery;
* Updates to the human trafficking related provisions of the Crimes Act 1961 to clarify definitions, strengthen enforcement capabilities, and align with international standards;
* Enhanced protection for victims and survivors of human trafficking;
* Increased modern slavery data collection;
* A review period that provides scope for further measures, such as a modern slavery commissioner.

Public and business support for modern slavery legislation is strong, with 80% of New Zealanders backing modern slavery legislation according to a 2023 poll, and nearly 40,000 petition signatures collected in 2021.

Armstrong says the business community is also calling for laws to address modern slavery so that Kiwi companies can retain a competitive edge in global markets.

“All over the world, but particularly in Europe, countries are introducing measures which will limit trading opportunities for New Zealand businesses if we do not have laws to address modern slavery. If we don’t take action now, we will be left behind and we’ll pay the economic price,” she says.

The expert group hopes that an announcement to introduce modern slavery legislation will be made by the end of the year.

You can read a report detailing the need for modern slavery legislation and the draft bill in its entirety here:

https://res.cloudinary.com/mkrstudio/raw/upload/wvnzcontent/resources/worldvision/media/resources/mstep-modern-slavery-bill-report_final-updated-10-dec-digital.pdf

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