Labour, National reach across aisle to tackle modern slavery

2026-01-28 - 23:54

Analysis: In the press conference announcing her retirement from politics to become president of the Law Commission, senior National Party MP Judith Collins on Wednesday emphasised her desire to get away from the cut and thrust of parliamentary politics. “Over the last few years, I’ve been trying not to get too much of the bear pit of [politics] – I’m sort of over it, and I really love that structured nature of working cross-party and getting things done together,” Collins declared, noting that “for lasting changes you need to get the opposition on board”. Such sentiments might seem unusual coming from a politician who has never shied away from taking her foes head-on – after all, her memoir was titled Pull No Punches – but Collins is right that long-term change requires bipartisan buy-in. Look at the last Labour government, whose legacy has been stripped back with each repeal bill put forward by its National-led successor. If that makes you despair about the state of cross-party collaboration, there are still the occasional glimmers of hope. Labour MP Camilla Belich and National MP Greg Fleming have just made history, getting modern slavery legislation onto the ballot paper with the support of Parliament’s two largest parties that sit on opposite sides of the political spectrum. In doing so, Belich and Fleming have become the first MPs to trigger Standing Order 288 – perhaps better known as the Rule of 61 – which allows a private member’s bill to bypass the usual ballot process if at least two-thirds of backbenchers (61 MPs) back it. The law has been a long time in coming: when I first spoke to Fleming about the prospect of a grand coalition on modern slavery legislation, he said he was “pretty close” to taking a proposal to the National caucus. That was in December 2024, with Fleming citing “differing views around the extent of the bill”, along with the historic nature of triggering the Rule of 61 – to explain the protracted process. But he and Belich deserve an immense amount of credit (along with NGOs like World Vision, which have been pushing politicians to act) for forging ahead with their plans, particularly given the Government’s lack of interest in advancing any law change itself. Businesses and other entities with over $100 million in annual revenue will be required to publish annual statements outlining what they are doing to keep modern slavery out of their supply chains, with an online, public register and financial penalties of up to $600,000 for breaches. “Workers in New Zealand and around the world should never face the horrors of modern slavery. It’s time New Zealand stood with other countries and acted,” Belich said of the law, while Fleming labelled the topic “an issue close to my heart”. With both major parties committed to supporting the bill through all stages, it is guaranteed to become law – sooner rather than later if the MPs have their way, writing to the business committee in a bid to move it to the top item on members’ business. But it remains to be seen how National’s coalition partners feel about this outburst of bipartisanship, given it is an Act Party MP – Brooke van Velden – who as Workplace Relations and Safety Minister has formal responsibility for modern slavery efforts. “We’ve seen from the Act Party a complete disregard for workers’ rights. And so from our perspective, from Labour’s perspective, it’s not surprising to see that, once again, they have failed to stand up for workers, not only in New Zealand, but ... worldwide,” Belich said as Fleming stood alongside her. But any coalition squabbling should not minimise the win that Belich and Fleming have secured. And now that precedent has been set, we may yet see more cases where parties of different stripes join together in the national interest.