Photo: RNZNational and Labour are joining forces to get modern slavery legislation into Parliament, using a new process to skip the biscuit tin for the first time. "It's time that New Zealand has a coordinated framework to deal with modern slavery, and this bill does just that," he said. "Workers in New Zealand and around the world should never face the horrors of modern slavery. That's the reality - we found a way to move past the fact that particular political party is not willing to take steps to stop modern slavery." Thousands enslavedOne tracker estimates 8000 people in New Zealand were living in modern slavery, comparatively low compared to other countries - placing it 148th out of 160 states for slavery prevalence.

Source: Otago Daily Times January 29, 2026 04:11 UTC