New Zealand humanitarian organisations and others have
joined forces to sign an open letter calling on Parliament
to pass the Modern Slavery Bill before the November
election.
The agencies, including World Vision,
Tearfund, the Council for International Development, ECPAT,
Hagar NZ, the Oceania Freedom Network, and the Council for
Trade Unions, are calling for the Bill to be passed before
Parliament rises for the final time on September
24.
World Vision’s Head of Advocacy and Justice,
Rebekah Armstrong, says the Bill was not prioritised on
Parliament’s final Members’ Day and now risks
lapsing.
“The Modern Slavery Bill needs to be
prioritised if it is going to pass before the election.
We’re calling on the government to carve out time to pass
the Bill which will help to curb the exploitation and
slavery of more than 50 million men, women, and children
around the world, including 8,000 right here in New
Zealand.
“Passing this Bill is unquestionably the
right thing to do, and that is demonstrated by the fact it
has strong cross-party support in Parliament. The only thing
holding this Bill back is Parliamentary time, and the
government can easily address this.” she
says.
Armstrong warns that if the Bill is not passed
in this term of government, it could lapse and while it
could be reinstated in the next Parliament, that isn’t
guaranteed.
Tearfund New Zealand’s Head of Advocacy,
Claire Gray, says the urgency is about people.
“Behind
the products we buy are people whose freedom and dignity
matter. Every delay in tackling modern slavery carries a
human cost.
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“Businesses, communities and politicians
across party lines have come together to support this Bill.
That progress deserves to be matched by action. We urge the
Government to make time to pass the Bill before the
election. We cannot let the clock run out on years of work
and an opportunity to make a real difference.”
The
Bill represents five years of collective advocacy across the
humanitarian, civil society and business sectors and has
strong public support. Armstrong says it has been an
extraordinary example of cross-party collaboration with the
Bill being jointly sponsored by National MP Greg Fleming and
Labour MP Camilla Belich. It was historically the first bill
introduced using the joint-sponsorship mechanism under
Standing Order 288.
“We’re asking the government to
show that it truly understands the collaborative nature of
Parliament and that it recognises that New Zealanders want
their MPs to work together on issues of importance like
modern slavery. The government needs to prioritise passing
this Bill.”
The open letter is being released on
social media so that organisations and businesses can
endorse and share through their own social channels. World
Vision and Tearfund are calling on New Zealanders to show
their support by sharing the open letter on social media and
adding their voice to the call for Parliament to prioritise
passing the Modern Slavery Bill before the
election.
Note:
A timeline of advocacy for a
Modern Slavery Act:
- March 2021: 100 businesses
sign an open letter calling for modern slavery
legislation. - June 2021: World Vision and Trade Aid
delivered a 37,000-strong petition to the
Government. - July 2021: The Labour Government
establishes the Modern Slavery Leadership Advisory Group
(MSLAG) to support and inform the development of an
effective regulatory regime in New Zealand. - April
2022: The Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment
solicits public submissions on a proposal for modern slavery
legislation. More than 5,000 submissions were made with 90%
in support. - September 2022: The Labour Government
releases the feedback which showed widespread support from
New Zealand businesses and individuals to introduce law to
address modern slavery. - June 2022: When interviewed
as leader of the opposition, Christopher Luxon says that an
issue he would march in the streets for is modern slavery
legislation. - March 2023: An independent poll finds
that 81% of New Zealanders support legislation to verify the
absence of modern slavery in supply chains. - July
2023: The Labour Government announces that modern slavery
legislation will be drafted requiring businesses to publicly
report on modern slavery risks. - May 2024: The
National Coalition Government disestablished the Modern
Slavery Leadership Advisory Group (MSLAG). - April
2024: When questioned about modern slavery legislation,
Minister van Velden and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon
said this was not a current priority for the
Government. - June 2024: Camilla Belich, Labour
spokesperson for Workplace Relations and Safety questioned
Minister van Velden on modern slavery at Parliament question
time. Minister van Velden reiterated that modern slavery
legislation is currently not a priority for the
Government. - December 2024: World Vision NZ’s
Rebekah Armstrong, barrister Jacob Parry, and ANZ’s ESG
Lead Rebecca Kingi co-drafted the Modern Slavery and
Trafficking Expert Practitioners (MSTEP) Modern Slavery
Bill. - December 2024: The Labour Party issued a media
release expressing its support for modern slavery
legislation and calling on National to back it as
well. - April 2025: National MP Greg Fleming lodged
the Modern Slavery Reporting Bill as a Private Member’s
Bill, focused on business reporting obligations. This
complemented his Increasing Penalties for Slavery Offences
Bill, currently before Select Committee. - June 2025,
Labour MP Camilla Belich lodged a Modern Slavery Bill. This
bill introduces similar business reporting requirements but
is more comprehensive including updates to the Crimes Act
stronger provisions for victim protection and support and
the establishment of an Anti-Slavery
Commissioner. - August 2025: The Minister of Justice
announced plans to amend the Crimes Act to strengthen laws
against trafficking, including many provisions recommended
in the MSTEP Bill. World Vision launched its campaign urging
politicians to work together utilising the rule of
61. - September 2025: 28 signatories, representing
institutional investors and New Zealand businesses
accounting for more than NZD 215 billion, released an open
letter calling for urgent action on modern slavery
legislation. - September 2025: The Government
introduced the Adoption Amendment Bill to prevent
trafficking and unsafe adoptions, signalling willingness to
strengthen New Zealand’s response to modern slavery and
trafficking. - December 2025- both member bills were
removed from the ballot. - January 2026 joint modern
slavery bill introduced. - April 2026: Modern Slavery
Bill passes its first reading in Parliament with the support
of 112 MPs. - May 2026: The Education and Workforce
Select Committee calls for public submissions on the Modern
Slavery Bill - August 2026: The Education and
Workforce Select Committee recommends the Modern Slavery
Bill be passed at its second
reading.
