Plan of action: People Trafficking

“The Plan of Action to Prevent People Trafficking demonstrates the high priority the New Zealand Government places on fighting transnational crime,” Head of Immigration Andrew Annakin says.

The Plan of Action is a proactive response to preventing the threat of people trafficking crimes occurring in New Zealand and preparing for dealing with any cases that arise in a coordinated and transparent manner.

“It is important that New Zealand is ready to deal with any future cases of people trafficking that may arise effectively, and in accordance with international best practice.”

New Zealand has developed the Plan of Action to meet its international obligations and commitments under the United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children,

The Plan of Action was coordinated by the Department of Labour, on behalf of the Inter-agency Working Group on People Trafficking. All the agencies on the Inter-agency Working Group contributed to the Plan of Action in various ways. Some have provided strategic guidance while others have committed to implement action items.

The main action items in the Plan of Action are:

to implement training and awareness-raising measures;
to develop policies for delivering comprehensive support and assistance to any future identified victims; and
to implement measures to empower victims to participate in the criminal justice process against their traffickers.
The non-government sector was involved in the development of the Plan of Action. A public consultation period was held in mid 2008. The views of submitters informed the direction of the Plan of Action.

The Plan of Action is now available online on the DoL website.