Historic Use Of Parliamentary Rule To Usher In Modern Slavery Act For NZ - World Vision New Zealand

World Vision New Zealand applauds the historic cross-party move to fast-track modern slavery legislation through Parliament.

Today National and Labour announced that they will invoke a never-before-used Parliamentary rule (Standing Order 288 or the Rule of 61) to progress a joint Modern Slavery Bill co-sponsored by National MP Greg Fleming and Labour MP Camilla Belich.

Under the “Rule of 61” any Private Member’s Bill backed by at least two-thirds of backbenchers (61 non-executive members) can automatically progress to first reading in Parliament and bypass the usual ballot process.

World Vision’s Head of Advocacy and Justice Rebekah Armstrong says the bi-partisan decision is momentous.

“This is the first time the “Rule of 61” has ever been used in New Zealand and it’s being used for something that really matters – to help end modern slavery. It shows what can happen when our leaders put politics aside and work together to do what’s right.

“After years of advocacy and widespread public support, politicians from across the aisles are finally moving to make modern slavery legislation a reality.

“This move means New Zealand is at last playing its part to help end modern slavery for more than 50 million people worldwide [i] , including 8,000 [ii] right here in New Zealand,” she says.

The Modern Slavery Bill will introduce:

Mandatory reporting: requiring businesses and other entities with a consolidated revenue of more than $100 million to prepare, submit, and publish public annual modern slavery statements which detail incidents, risks, due diligence, remediation, complaints, and training across operations and supply chains.

Greater transparency and accountability: through an online public register of modern slavery statements, and annual reports detailing incidents, risk trends, offences, and civil penalties.

Enhanced support for victims: through requirements to guide government agency support, improve victim identification, and the services available to trafficking survivors.

Improved national data collection to track the scale of modern slavery, along with a regular review to strengthen modern slavery legislation in New Zealand.

World Vision research shows that the average New Zealander spends around $77 a week [iii] on goods that are likely linked to child labour, forced labour, or human trafficking such as electronics, clothing, and toys.

“Kiwis don’t want to be complicit in exploitation. This new law will require companies to take responsibility and gives New Zealanders confidence that the goods they are buying are slavery-free,” Armstrong says.

She says the progress of the bill is a testament to the ongoing support and willingness to work together of both Fleming and Belich, as well as the persistent advocacy of Non-Government Organisations.

She says the New Zealand business community, local and international investors, and the broader New Zealand public have also continually called for modern slavery laws and will welcome this latest move.

“Investors and businesses accounting for more than $215 billion in funds have also joined calls for the introduction of modern slavery legislation, while a poll in 2023 found that 80% of New Zealanders wanted such legislation.

“It’s reassuring to see that the issue of modern slavery isn’t going to stagnate for another election cycle and that Parliament will work to address an issue of such immense importance,” Armstrong says.

World Vision is keen to see the first reading of the new bill in Parliament early in the new year and is hopeful the new legislation will be in place before this year’s election.

NOTES:

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.