Currently, in New Zealand, there are no laws stopping products linked to child labour or forced labour from being imported. Companies don’t have to declare where their goods are coming from, or ensure their products haven’t been made by people who are enslaved. This report highlights New Zealand’s most risky goods, as well as how other countries are looking into supply chains and addressing imports linked to child labour and forced labour.

The New Zealand Government should make laws that require companies and the public sector to examine and disclose the origins of their products and then to take steps to address any child labour and forced labour identified in their supply chains. When this information is out in the open, Kiwis can make ethical purchasing decisions and be confident that they aren’t supporting modern slavery.

Key findings:

1. In 2019, New Zealanders imported more than $3.1 billion of risky products, which is more than 5% of the country’s total imports. Each week, a New Zealand household spends about $34 on risky products – only slightly less than they spend on electricity.
2. $1.5 billion in imports were associated with forced labour, $713 million with child labour, and $920 million with both forced labour and child labour.
3. New Zealand imported risky products from 44 countries globally in 2019. We spent the most on risky goods from China (64%, $2 billion), then Vietnam (9%, $279 million), Malaysia (7%, $233 million) and Bangladesh (5%, $150 million).