The Government has pointed to a lack of resources and blurred roles hampering its battle against human trafficking.
It has launched a five-year action plan, saying horticulture, beauty services, construction and hospitality are problems areas.
Associate Immigration Minister Casey Costello, whose previous work included fighting migrant exploitation, said there had been a significant recent increase in people trafficking investigations.
“Trafficking is a difficult prosecution because it was always relating to bringing across the border, and it really didn’t recognise that we have domestic trafficking as well, and that was where the differential needs to be looked at, and that’s why fit for purpose legislation is so critically important. But yes, there has been a lot more activity, and I think there’s a lot more we can do.”
Thirteen people were granted victims of people trafficking work visas last year.
Trafficking involves coercion, deception or abuse of power to use people for forced labour or criminality, servitude, slavery or prostitution.
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) identified several deficiencies in the cross-government trafficking response, including fragmented reporting pathways, unclear agency roles and data-sharing barriers
Variation existed between agencies in the identification of potential victims, and in their frontline capability, with “constrained investigative capacity” and limited public awareness.
Police, Immigration New Zealand compliance, the Labour Inspectorate and Internal Affairs could be involved in cross-border work, and the ministries of education, justice and children among other departments whose staff dealt with trafficking issues
The action plan’s first steps were mapping the existing trafficking systems, and creating a governance framework.
As an interim measure, it would create a process for trafficking victims to access support.
In phase two, it would coordinate training and strengthen partnerships with Pacific countries to prevent child trafficking.
Citizens Advice Bureau wants an independent anti-slavery commissioner, saying volunteers were “genuinely horrified and shocked” when they discovered there was no support or protection for people in exploitative situations.
The US State Department, which ranks country’s trafficking responses, said last year New Zealand was assessed as tier 2 as it did not meet all minimum standards, but was making significant efforts.