Is bipartisan collaboration finally within reach for modern slavery legislation?
Over the past years, leaders from both New Zealand’s major political parties have spoken with conviction about the need to address modern slavery. They have stood before cameras, issued press releases, and pledged to take action.
They are right to speak out. Behind the statistics are stories of children mining minerals for smartphones, women sewing garments under threat, and migrant workers coerced into silence and abuse. In a country that prides itself on fairness, no one in Parliament disputes that modern slavery has no place here in New Zealand and in our supply chains.
A look back at speeches, interviews, and press releases shows that leaders on both sides of the House have long signalled their readiness to see action on modern slavery.
In June 2022, Rt Hon Christopher Luxon, then Leader of the Opposition, made one of the most unequivocal statements on the subject, telling RNZ’s Guyon Espiner that modern slavery was something for which he would “march on the streets” adding, “that’s something I think we could do a better job of and have modern slavery legislation.”
A year later, Hon Paul Goldsmith, National’s health and safety spokesperson at the time, affirmed that his party would support “some form of modern day slavery legislation.” Frustrated at the pace of change, Goldsmith said, “We would like to see something put down and delivered”
Commitments were equally strong on the other side of the House. In July 2023, former Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni announced the Labour-led government was drafting legislation that would require large companies to publicly report on their efforts to identify and mitigate modern slavery in their supply chains, affirming:
“We’re taking action to address modern slavery and eliminate exploitation in our supply chains,” she said. “It’s vital we bring modern slavery practices out of the shadows and into the daylight so we can ensure workers are safe and treated with dignity.”
She described the proposed regime as “among the world’s strongest reporting systems for tackling modern slavery.” And importantly, she committed to measures beyond reporting “including ‘due diligence’ and ‘take action’ responsibilities”. She noted that this “remains a priority for this Government”, asserting that she was “committed to progressing this work for future decisions.”
However, with the change of government, Labour’s proposed legislation did not progress.
In 2024, Labour called for collaboration across party lines on modern slavery legislation. A press release revealed that Opposition Leader Chris Hipkins had written directly to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, “offering bipartisan agreement on the issue.” Labour MP Camilla Belich reiterated Labour’s backing for strong modern slavery laws and called on National to follow suit in another press release issued in December 2024.
In an RNZ interview in April this year, Belich repeated the invitation for collaboration: “We have put that offer out there and remain open to joining forces with the National Party or other political parties in Parliament to see if we can get that comprehensive Bill [the MSTEP Modern Slavery Bill] introduced. That offer remains on the table.”
Since then, both parties have put forward separate Private Members’ bills addressing modern slavery.
National MP Greg Fleming introduced a Modern Slavery Reporting Bill in April 2025, which would require large companies to disclose their efforts to identify and address modern slavery risks. He also tabled a Private Member’s Bill to strengthen penalties for slavery offences.
Speaking to RNZ about his bills, Fleming explained: “Most people have no idea just how commonly occurring trafficking is in a place like New Zealand, and I think that is part of the reason why we haven't seen movement in the legislation space.” He added, “My role is to push for the legislative change that so many people in the NGO space have been pushing for years.”
In July 2025, Labour MP Camilla Belich, introduced her Modern Slavery Bill, which also seeks to introduce reporting requirements for businesses to address modern slavery in their operations and supply chains, while including stronger protections for victims and survivors of trafficking and slavery.
When read together, these statements make one thing clear: leaders from both major parties have shown conviction and called for action on modern slavery legislation. Yet one cannot help but notice that, despite so much alignment, true cross-party action is still missing.
New Zealanders have done their part. NGOs, businesses, investors, and thousands of New Zealanders have raised their voices through petitions, submissions, and open letters. The task now lies with those in Parliament — to turn their words into cross-party action.
In his RNZ Checkpoint interview on 16 October 2025, Greg Fleming offered a glimpse of hope. He said, “Both Camilla, who’s leading it from the Labour side, and I, from the National side, are doing everything we can—and I think we are getting closer and closer.” He confirmed that the Prime Minister is “very supportive” of bipartisan action using the Rule of 61 to move a bill forward, and that ‘National is very close to supporting it’. He hinted that cross-party agreement might soon be within reach: “On this particular issue, I think we are almost there,” he said.
With two Private Members’ bills before Parliament, and a rare cross-party consensus building, the next few weeks could define whether New Zealand politicians can finally deliver together on what they all say they believe. And with the 22nd of November marking two years since the National Government took office, there could be no better moment for a united public commitment to modern slavery reform.
Bipartisan cooperation isn’t an idealistic dream — it’s the logical and practical next step, made possible under the Rule of 61.
You can call on politicians to work together and make a public commitment before the end of the year by emailing them here.
They are right to speak out. Behind the statistics are stories of children mining minerals for smartphones, women sewing garments under threat, and migrant workers coerced into silence and abuse. In a country that prides itself on fairness, no one in Parliament disputes that modern slavery has no place here in New Zealand and in our supply chains.
A look back at speeches, interviews, and press releases shows that leaders on both sides of the House have long signalled their readiness to see action on modern slavery.
In June 2022, Rt Hon Christopher Luxon, then Leader of the Opposition, made one of the most unequivocal statements on the subject, telling RNZ’s Guyon Espiner that modern slavery was something for which he would “march on the streets” adding, “that’s something I think we could do a better job of and have modern slavery legislation.”
A year later, Hon Paul Goldsmith, National’s health and safety spokesperson at the time, affirmed that his party would support “some form of modern day slavery legislation.” Frustrated at the pace of change, Goldsmith said, “We would like to see something put down and delivered”
Commitments were equally strong on the other side of the House. In July 2023, former Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni announced the Labour-led government was drafting legislation that would require large companies to publicly report on their efforts to identify and mitigate modern slavery in their supply chains, affirming:
“We’re taking action to address modern slavery and eliminate exploitation in our supply chains,” she said. “It’s vital we bring modern slavery practices out of the shadows and into the daylight so we can ensure workers are safe and treated with dignity.”
She described the proposed regime as “among the world’s strongest reporting systems for tackling modern slavery.” And importantly, she committed to measures beyond reporting “including ‘due diligence’ and ‘take action’ responsibilities”. She noted that this “remains a priority for this Government”, asserting that she was “committed to progressing this work for future decisions.”
However, with the change of government, Labour’s proposed legislation did not progress.
In 2024, Labour called for collaboration across party lines on modern slavery legislation. A press release revealed that Opposition Leader Chris Hipkins had written directly to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, “offering bipartisan agreement on the issue.” Labour MP Camilla Belich reiterated Labour’s backing for strong modern slavery laws and called on National to follow suit in another press release issued in December 2024.
In an RNZ interview in April this year, Belich repeated the invitation for collaboration: “We have put that offer out there and remain open to joining forces with the National Party or other political parties in Parliament to see if we can get that comprehensive Bill [the MSTEP Modern Slavery Bill] introduced. That offer remains on the table.”
Since then, both parties have put forward separate Private Members’ bills addressing modern slavery.
National MP Greg Fleming introduced a Modern Slavery Reporting Bill in April 2025, which would require large companies to disclose their efforts to identify and address modern slavery risks. He also tabled a Private Member’s Bill to strengthen penalties for slavery offences.
Speaking to RNZ about his bills, Fleming explained: “Most people have no idea just how commonly occurring trafficking is in a place like New Zealand, and I think that is part of the reason why we haven't seen movement in the legislation space.” He added, “My role is to push for the legislative change that so many people in the NGO space have been pushing for years.”
In July 2025, Labour MP Camilla Belich, introduced her Modern Slavery Bill, which also seeks to introduce reporting requirements for businesses to address modern slavery in their operations and supply chains, while including stronger protections for victims and survivors of trafficking and slavery.
When read together, these statements make one thing clear: leaders from both major parties have shown conviction and called for action on modern slavery legislation. Yet one cannot help but notice that, despite so much alignment, true cross-party action is still missing.
New Zealanders have done their part. NGOs, businesses, investors, and thousands of New Zealanders have raised their voices through petitions, submissions, and open letters. The task now lies with those in Parliament — to turn their words into cross-party action.
In his RNZ Checkpoint interview on 16 October 2025, Greg Fleming offered a glimpse of hope. He said, “Both Camilla, who’s leading it from the Labour side, and I, from the National side, are doing everything we can—and I think we are getting closer and closer.” He confirmed that the Prime Minister is “very supportive” of bipartisan action using the Rule of 61 to move a bill forward, and that ‘National is very close to supporting it’. He hinted that cross-party agreement might soon be within reach: “On this particular issue, I think we are almost there,” he said.
With two Private Members’ bills before Parliament, and a rare cross-party consensus building, the next few weeks could define whether New Zealand politicians can finally deliver together on what they all say they believe. And with the 22nd of November marking two years since the National Government took office, there could be no better moment for a united public commitment to modern slavery reform.
Bipartisan cooperation isn’t an idealistic dream — it’s the logical and practical next step, made possible under the Rule of 61.
You can call on politicians to work together and make a public commitment before the end of the year by emailing them here.