Source: World Vision
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.
“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.
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 readin.