Build a better Bill

We’ve spent over 50 years proving trade can be fair.

Help us make it the law.

 

Slavery has no place in today’s world. Since 1973, Trade Aid has pioneered fair trade by proving that transparent, slavery-free supply chains are not just a moral imperative, but commercially viable. However, most of the products Kiwis buy every day are still implicated in forced labour, with New Zealanders spending an average of $77 per week on high-risk goods.

 

The Situation Right Now

The Modern Slavery Bill has been introduced to the Education and Workforce Select Committee. While we welcome the Bill and this step toward transparency, the wording in its current form is a disclosure-only framework that lacks the “teeth” needed to drive systemic change.

Without significant changes, this law risks becoming a “tick-box” administrative exercise that penalises paperwork errors rather than the exploitation of vulnerable workers.

 

Where the Current Bill Falls Short:

  • The Bill only applies to companies earning over $100 million. This excludes 99% of New Zealand businesses, leaving hundreds of thousands of workers unprotected.

  • Currently, companies only have to report on what they do; they are not legally required to actually identify, prevent, or remedy slavery in their supply chains.

  • The proposed $600,000 civil penalty is just 0.6% of revenue for a large corporation reaching the current $100M threshold for reporting – making it a manageable “cost of doing business” rather than a genuine deterrent.

     

Trade Aid’s Solution – Our Four Critical Amendments:

We are calling on the Select Committee to strengthen the Bill through these four key changes:

  1. Mandatory Due Diligence: Shifting the legal requirement from mere reporting to active mitigation and remediation of harm.

  2. Lowering the Reporting Threshold: Reducing the threshold from $100 million to $20 million to reflect New Zealand’s Small to Medium Enterprise-dominated economy.

  3. An Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner: Establishing a standalone statutory office to provide independent oversight and support for victims.

  4. Meaningful Penalties: Increasing civil penalties to up to 10% of annual revenue to ensure they outweigh the financial gains of exploitation.

 

Add your voice to Trade Aid’s submission before the 28th May.

Let’s demand a law that stops slavery, not just reports it.

 

Anti-Slavery Law that Works
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FAQs

Modern slavery is an umbrella term for extreme labour exploitation, including forced labour, debt bondage, and human trafficking. In a New Zealand context, it also includes non-minor breaches of employment standards that leave workers vulnerable. It is often hidden deep within complex global supply chains for the products we use every day.

Yes. Research shows that New Zealanders spend an average of $77 per week on products implicated in modern slavery. Every year, New Zealand imports roughly $7.9 billion worth of high-risk goods. As a nation, we are deeply integrated into supply chains where the risk of exploitation is high.

The current Bill presents as a “disclosure-only” framework. This means companies only have to report on what they are doing; they are not legally required to take action to stop slavery when they find it. Without “teeth,” the law risks becoming a tick-box exercise where companies prioritise paperwork over the actual protection of vulnerable workers.

The proposed $100 million threshold creates a massive regulatory blind spot. Because New Zealand’s economy is dominated by small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs), a $100M bar only captures 263 companies. This leaves over 544,000 businesses and hundreds of thousands of workers outside the law’s protection. Lowering the threshold to $20 million ensures the law actually reflects the reality of our market.

A standalone, statutory Commissioner is essential to provide a permanent, independent watchdog for supply chain integrity. This role ensures that monitoring remains consistent across different political cycles and provides a dedicated authority to support victims and hold both private companies and government agencies accountable.

Yes – you can make your own submission via the Parliament Website.

The Modern Slavery Bill is a historic piece of legislation currently before the Education and Workforce Select Committee. It represents a rare moment of cross-party unity, having bypassed the “Parliamentary Biscuit Tin” through broad MP support and being co-presented by Camilla Belich (Labour) and Greg Fleming (National).

While the Bill is a welcome step toward transparency in New Zealand’s supply chains , Trade Aid believes it currently functions as a “disclosure-only” framework that lacks the necessary “teeth” to stop exploitation.

Trade Aid is calling for four critical amendments to ensure this Bill doesn’t just shine a light on slavery, but actually works to end it by requiring mandatory due diligence, meaningful penalties, and an independent watchdog.

Read the proposed Bill here | Read Trade Aid’s Full Submission

A Select Committee is a small group of MPs that examines a Bill in detail and hears submissions from the public before reporting back to Parliament.

A formal written response to a Select Committee saying what you think about a proposed law. It is your opportunity to show support and highlight areas you think need strengthening.

Yes – Select Committees do read submissions. The volume and content of submissions affects how the Committee reports back to Parliament.

Yes, all submissions to Select Committees are made public unless you request confidentiality.

Yes, we will add your first and last name only (not your email or phone number) to our submission unless you request we remove it.