Written by Field Name
Report Date
5 min read
Written by Fair Supply
February 19, 2026
5 min read
On 10 February 2026, a bipartisan Modern Slavery Bill was formally introduced in the New Zealand Parliament representing the most significant legislative development on modern slavery transparency in over a decade.
Although it has not yet become law, the Bill has strong cross-party support and is expected to progress through select committee review, public submissions, and further parliamentary consideration in 2026.
This is a pivotal moment for New Zealand businesses. Once passed, the Bill would establish a mandatory reporting regime, requiring large organisations operating in New Zealand to disclose modern slavery risks and their responses aligned with global trends in corporate transparency and accountability.
What the Bill Proposes: Mandatory Reporting and Transparency
The Modern Slavery Bill is designed to introduce New Zealand’s first formal mandatory modern slavery reporting framework, informed by international models such as Australia’s and the UK’s, but with additional reporting expectations.
Key features include:
1. Mandatory Annual Modern Slavery Statements
Large entities would be required to prepare and publish an annual modern slavery statement that:
- Describes the organisation’s structure, operations and supply chains
- Identifies known and anticipated modern slavery risks
- Sets out actions taken to address those risks, including due diligence and remediation
- Reports on any modern slavery related complaints and how they were handled
- Explains how the effectiveness of actions is measured
This moves beyond simple disclosure of risk to include reporting on incidents and complaints, giving stakeholders deeper insight into how organisations are managing modern slavery exposure.
2. Public Register and Government Oversight
The Bill would establish a publicly searchable register of modern slavery statements, promoting transparency and enabling stakeholders including investors, customers and civil society to compare and scrutinise reporting across entities.
There is also provision for the responsible Minister to issue guidance, review compliance trends, and report progress on modern slavery matters within the broader New Zealand economy.
3. Penalties and Governance Accountability
Significant enforcement mechanisms are proposed:
- Civil penalties for organisations that fail to report or lodge statements on time
- Fines for false or misleading statements
- Potential director and senior manager liability where individuals knew, or could reasonably be expected to have known, about offences and failed to take reasonable steps to prevent them
These mechanisms are intended to ensure that modern slavery reporting is treated as a serious compliance obligation, rather than a voluntary disclosure exercise.
Who Would Be Affected?
While final thresholds and details are still subject to change as the Bill progresses, current commentary and published proposals suggest:
- Entities operating in New Zealand with consolidated annual revenue of at least NZD 100 million would generally fall within scope.
- Overseas companies that operate in or supply goods and services to New Zealand may also be captured, depending on structure and revenue attribution.
This captures both domestic and international businesses with substantial operations connected to New Zealand, aligning the regime with global supply chain transparency expectations.
How the Bill Compares Internationally
The proposed New Zealand framework builds on international models but has some distinctive elements:
- It aligns with Australia and the UK in requiring annual public disclosure of modern slavery risks and responses.
- It expands reporting expectations to include complaints handling and incident reporting, not always required in other regimes.
- It embeds civil penalties and corporate governance accountability, signalling that modern slavery reporting is a compliance risk as much as a reputational one.
Why This Matters for Business
The Bill reflects growing stakeholder expectations for ethical supply chains and broadening global regulatory momentum on human rights transparency:
- Large corporates and their investors increasingly expect robust reporting on human rights risks connected to operations and supply chains.
- Supply chain visibility and evidence-based governance are rapidly becoming material considerations for procurement, investor due diligence, and customer engagement.
- Organisations already reporting under overseas regimes can leverage existing frameworks and methodologies to prepare for New Zealand’s regime, reducing duplication and aligning global compliance approaches.
Practical Steps Businesses Should Take Now
Even before the Bill becomes law, preparing early will put organisations in a stronger position:
1. Assess Scope and Governance Readiness
Confirm whether your organisation is likely to fall within the revenue and operational thresholds, and assign clear board and executive oversight for modern slavery risk.
2. Map Supply Chain Exposure
Start identifying where modern slavery risks are most likely in your operations and supply chain — including tier-one and deeper-tier suppliers.
3. Establish Data Collection and Due Diligence Processes
Develop structured processes for gathering supplier data, assessing risk, and documenting actions taken.
4. Strengthen Incident and Complaint Mechanisms
Ensure internal grievance channels and complaints handling systems are capable of identifying and responding to modern slavery concerns.
5. Draft Reporting Templates
Prepare draft reporting templates that can be adapted to meet disclosure requirements once the Bill becomes law.
Looking Ahead
With the Bill introduced and bipartisan backing secured, New Zealand is closer than ever to formalising modern slavery reporting requirements potentially with first reporting obligations coming a year or more after enactment.
Businesses that start preparing now embedding governance processes and building defensible systems rather than ad hoc policies will not only reduce future compliance risk but also strengthen their credibility with stakeholders in an increasingly transparency-driven market.
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