Closer than you think: migrant exploitation and modern slavery in Aotearoa

Modern slavery isn’t a distant problem – it’s a lived reality in Aotearoa New Zealand. Encompassing severe forms of exploitation such as forced labour and debt bondage, modern slavery is a global issue that cuts across borders, occupations and industries. And while not all forms of migrant worker exploitation meet the threshold of modern slavery, they exist along the same continuum of harm.

In this talk, Dr Christina Stringer draws on over a decade of research to discuss the structural and systemic conditions enabling modern slavery and migrant exploitation to persist across various sectors in New Zealand. Understanding the connected nature of these practices and the conditions that allow them to remain largely unseen is essential for developing effective responses. Join Christina as she confronts the uncomfortable truth that exploitation is not hidden in far-off places – it is happening here, among us.

Bio

Dr Christina Stringer is an associate professor of international business and director of the Centre for Research on Modern Slavery at the University of Auckland Business School. She has been conducting research on the exploitation of temporary migrant workers in New Zealand for over a decade. Christina has served on several advisory groups focused on modern slavery and migrant exploitation, most recently as a member of the Labour Government’s Modern Slavery Leadership Advisory Group.

Event

8:00pm @16 Tun, 10/26 Jellicoe Street, Auckland 1010

Also speaking at this location at 6:00pm is Andrew Erueti