PETITION: SUPPORT CORPORATE MANSLAUGHTER LEGISLATION IN NEW ZEALAND  

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon 

Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith  

Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden 

Tēnā koutou, 

We believe every working person has the right to return home safely at the end of the day. The health and wellbeing of all workers must be a top priority for the companies they work for.  

Every week in Aotearoa New Zealand, 17 workers are killed as a consequence of their work.  

Every 15 minutes, a worker suffers an injury that requires more than a week off work.

Businesses that cut corners to save costs at the expense of workers’ lives, bosses that repeatedly disregard risks that kill their employees, and directors that take unacceptable risks with workers’ lives must be held accountable.  

Currently, there is no corporate manslaughter (homicide) legislation to hold companies truly accountable when their negligence leads to a person being killed at work. This is unacceptable. An effective deterrent is long overdue.  

Companies have a responsibility to ensure the safety of their workers, and the lack of consequences for the persons running companies that fail to do so perpetuates a culture of negligence and disregard for human life.  

Together, let's ensure there’s Not One More.  

We urge you to support Camilla Belich’s Crimes (Corporate Homicide) Amendment Bill currently in the Biscuit tin. We want to see Aotearoa New Zealand become a world leader in workplace safety, joining other countries like Canada, United Kingdom, France, Spain, and Australia who have developed similar legislation to protect their workers. 

Everyone deserves good work – work that is safe and secure, well-paid, and contributes to a meaningful and fulfilling life.

This legislation would help make that a reality, by ensuring negligent companies are held accountable for workplace deaths, and sending a clear message that the safety and wellbeing of workers is a top priority.

Ngā mihi nui,