"Labour puts forward modern slavery bill, saying NZ will get left behind", 16 July 2025

Labour has drafted legislation to stop modern slavery in New Zealand company operations and supply chains, hoping to restart a process that has stalled under the current Government.

A private member’s bill introduced by Camilla Belich called the Modern Slavery Act 2025 aims to create a “fit-for-purpose statutory framework to support actions taken to combat modern slavery”.

The bill envisages a newly created anti-slavery commissioner charged with raising awareness of modern slavery and advocating and promoting action to combat it. An expert advisory panel on the subject would also be set up to report to the relevant minister.

The bill would require companies and organisations with more than $50 million in annual revenue to prepare and publish modern slavery statements on their websites, and submit them for publication on a register, together with the ways in which they are addressing and mitigating slavery risks within their operations and supply chains.

The anti-slavery commissioner would be charged with ensuring this work was done.

Failure to do so could result in a fine of up to $200,000, and there would be a similar fine for publishing a modern slavery statement that included intentionally false or misleading information.

The bill would also strengthen the legal framework for people trafficking.

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