"Mint spearheads letter to the Government addressing Modern Slavery Legislation", 8 March 2024

... Mint had the pleasure of meeting with Walk Free’s Co-Founder, Grace Forrest, to discuss how investors can continue to assist with this crucial work. Mint has agreed to continue to lobby the government on modern slavery legislation. In our discussions with Grace, we also agreed on the importance of continuing to outline our expectation that our investee companies carry out due diligence assessments of their own, despite the absence of a law so far.

... As investors, we expect investee companies to show how they have identified and addressed modern slavery risks in line with the gold standard (i.e., due diligence). Introducing this higher standard as law from the beginning will help businesses improve their practices and align with the increasing expectations of both investors and key trading partners offshore.

Aotearoa can learn from experience had overseas and pass appropriate legislation from the outset. We will continue to advocate for this with the relevant Ministers, supported by Walk Free’s ongoing efforts in this area.