A massive 6,500km cycling journey across the US has come to an early end for Miramar local Tony Clark and his wife Jennifer, but their mission to fight modern slavery is nearly complete.

With forced labour and human trafficking a regional threat and worldwide issue, Tearfund's Head of Advocacy, Claire Grey, encourages New Zealanders to ask for greater accountability wherever businesses identify risks and instances of exploitation in their supply-chain, by making a submission on the modern slavery bill.

Advocacy leaders, including Tearfund’s Ian McInnes, call for stronger laws that require companies not just to report modern slavery risks but to take action to prevent them, as New Zealand’s Modern Slavery Bill progresses through Parliament. Pacific workers, particularly those on temporary visas, remain highly vulnerable to labour exploitation and human trafficking.

New Zealand’s Modern Slavery Bill has passed its first reading with rare cross-party support, aiming to increase transparency around forced labour in business supply chains by requiring large business to report ricks and actions.