The New Zealand Government should create and resource a specific human trafficking office, in alignment with international best practice, that actively coordinates an interagency government and civil society response to human trafficking and labour exploitation.
Worker Exploitation Report (2016)
In collobaration with the University of Auckland, and Dr Christina Stringer, we undertook a research project into worker exploitation in New Zealand. The Report — the first of its kind in New Zealand, and based on 100 interviews with (mostly) migrant workers — exposed concerning trends of exploitation.
The final report was released on 14 December 2016 and is entitled "Worker Exploitation in New Zealand: A Troubling Landscape". Media releases can be found here.
The 2016 Report was followed up by a more in-depth investigation of exploitation within the temporary migrant population. The research was undertake by Dr Stringer in collaboration with Professor Francis Collins of the University of Waikato.
We are currently undertaking research into the discepancies between the definition of child trafficking in the relevant international conventions and its definition in New Zealand.
