12. Employment Relations—Migrant ExploitationIAIN LEES-GALLOWAY (Labour—Palmerston North) to the Minister for Workplace Relations and SafetyEmployment Relations—Migrant Exploitation12. IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY (Labour—Palmerston North) to the Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety: Does he accept that exploitation of migrant workers is pervasive in New Zealand; if not why not?Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE (Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety): Migrant exploitation in any form and in any quantity is a great concern but I do not consider it to be pervasive. The vast majority of employers in New Zealand are law-abiding and treat their employers fairly and the labour inspectorate is working very hard to stamp out those employers whose practices do not meet minimum employment standards.Iain Lees-Galloway: Why does he think migrant workers continue to report high levels of abuse intimidation underpayment debt bondage and a host of other exploitative employment practices despite his so-called efforts to stamp out migrant exploitation?Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE: Well that is a question best put to the complainants but I would imagine that it is because they have a great deal of confidence that they will be listened to taken seriously and that their issues will be prosecuted. Indeed that is exactly what is happening with the extra resources we have given to the labour inspectorate.Iain Lees-Galloway: Why does he think that migrant workers are reporting these issues to a researcher rather than taking them to the appropriate authorities?Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE: I presume the member is referring to the document entitled Worker Exploitation in New Zealand: A Troubling Landscape prepared and published by the University of Auckland. What is important to consider about that report is that although it draws conclusions that migrant exploitation is pervasive and widespread—and indeed it is a very thorough empirical study—the method of gaining those stories was to go and ask people who have said they have been exploited. One hundred and five people did so and told their stories. That is concerning but given the tens of thousands of overseas workers—maybe more than that—during the period of those told stories I do not believe that that constitutes pervasive or widespread exploitation.Iain Lees-Galloway: Is he concerned that it is the same industries—dairy farming fishing hospitality horticulture construction and international education—that keep coming up as the most exploitative; if so why is he not doing more to end the exploitation epidemic in those sectors?Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE: As I said in the answer to the primary question I am concerned about any migrant exploitation wherever it occurs and in whatever volume but if that member truly expects to come to this House and cry crocodile tears over migrant exploitation when his party is not prepared to support the very legislation that this Government passed like the Immigration Amendment Bill which significantly increased the penalties in 2015 and like the Immigration Amendment (Mass Arrivals) Bill that we passed in 2013 then there is a word for that sort of thing and I am not allowed to use it.Iain Lees-Galloway: Does he accept that migrant exploitation has a chilling effect on wages and conditions for all workers in those sectors; if not why not?Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE: Firstly there is no evidence that the exploitation is widespread or that it would lead to the suppression of wages. Rather than be driven by hyperbole I need to be driven by the data and the data says that there has been a 3.1 percent increase in wages year on year in those industries since this Government came to office and very low interest rates and inflation rates which suggests quite the opposite: that wages are growing.Richard Prosser: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. While the Minister is answering from the realms of fantasy can you arrange for each member to get a unicorn for Christmas?Mr SPEAKER: Supplementary question—Iain Lees-Galloway.Iain Lees-Galloway: When will he accept that too many employers rely on exploiting migrant workers so that they can avoid paying decent wages and meeting basic employment standards?Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE: Here is what I will accept: I accept that one example of migrant exploitation is one too many which is why we invested heavily in improving compliance with immigration law with a labour inspectorate that has grown by 90 percent since this Government came to office and we have passed laws strengthening the sanctions against non-compliant employers. I encourage that member and his party to support the Government in its efforts.