New Zealand and Pacific Nations Failing to Stop Trafficking, US State Department Says

The countries failed to meet the standards of the US Trafficking Victims Protection Act.

A file photo of a young sex worker in Southern California on Feb. 8, 2023. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

New Zealand, together with eight Pacific Island nations, have failed to stop human trafficking according to the latest data from the U.S. State Department.

The 2025 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report defines human trafficking broadly as sex trafficking and forced labour, and ranks countries into four tiers based on how well they are implementing measures to combat it.