# Procurer’s approach to ethical and sustainable work practices Official source: https://www.employment.govt.nz/fair-work-practices/ethical-and-sustainable-work-practices/procurers-approach-to-ethical-and-sustainable-work-practices Scanned: 2026-06-07T03:31:31.402Z Use this as a current official guidance reference, not as a substitute for legal advice. ## Page Text Home Fair work practices Ethical and sustainable work practices Procurers Ethical and sustainable work practices Fair work practices Workplace policies and procedures Employee privacy Restructuring and workplace change Unions and bargaining Ethical and sustainable work practices About ethical and sustainable work practices Auditors Directors Employers Franchisors Investors Procurers Recruiters COVID-19 in the workplace Pay and gender equity Flexible working Everyone Procurer’s approach to ethical and sustainable work practices Information for procurers about your role in assuring workers within supply chains are treated fairly and that employment standards are met. When your business is a procurer (buyer) of goods and services As a procurer, giving proper consideration to how workers are treated in your supply chain(s) can be essential to your organisation’s ability to operate. Non-compliance issues in your supply chain can range from breaches An act of breaking a law, promise, agreement or relationship. of employment standards like paying less than the minimum wages The lowest amount an employee can be paid per hour. There are 3 types of minimum wage: adult, starting-out and training. There is no minimum wage for employees younger than 16 years old. , to more serious forms of exploitation like forced labour. These issues can affect the quality of your products and services and have a significant impact on your organisation’s reputation and branding. Making sure that the workers in your supply chains are treated fairly will have a positive effect on productivity and the health, safety and wellbeing of the workers. A guide for Procurers [PDF, 1.6 MB] On an international level, there is increased focus on compliance throughout supply chains. Assuring continued compliance is now a key part of New Zealand’s brand reputation overseas for sustainability and integrity. For information about how to assure yourself that conditions in your supply chain will not negatively impact on your organisation’s reputation or sales revenue, see: Ethical and sustainable work practice due diligence Key steps are set out below. Undertaking due diligence in your supply chain As a procurer, you need to start managing risk before signing a contract and continue to monitor risk after that. Carrying out supply chain due diligence will give you confidence about how workers will be treated by prospective suppliers throughout your supply chain before you enter into a contract. This should continue via monitoring throughout the life of the contract to maintain that confidence. You should undertake due diligence activities to make sure that employment, labour and human rights standards are being met by your lead (Tier 1) suppliers, their sub-contractors, and supply chains. Understanding and communicating with your supply chain There are some key steps you can take to help mitigate labour rights and worker exploitation risks in your supply chains. Invest in supply chain mapping and understanding your organisation’s supply chains – identify potential risks, and implement strategies to avoid or mitigate them. Develop methods to monitor compliance over the life of your contracts — for example, create new channels like employee voice tools and employee grievance processes, or tighten settings, for example, a stronger employment relations focus later in the life of the contract. Have effective ongoing communications and contact with your lead supplier to strengthen your business relationship. Make sure your lead (Tier 1) suppliers have a commitment to focus on labour market risks. Depending on the size of the supplier, this could include a human resources (HR) function, or similar, reporting directly to 1 or more senior executive members. This commitment should extend throughout the supply chain from the lead suppliers to their own suppliers and sub-contractors. You can find examples of supply chain-mapping and treatment-of-worker risk-identification products, tools and services in the MartinJenkins ‘Supply chain mapping and risk identification tools’ report below. This report summarises the tools and resources available and tests their relevance in the New Zealand context. The tools and resources in the report are generally more relevant for medium and larger sized entities. However, smaller entities may also find the report useful but choose to adapt their response proportionately to their risk of exposure. Supply chain mapping and risk identification tools – Summary report - MartinJenkins [PDF, 3.9 MB] Supplier modern slavery requirements In New Zealand, most businesses are small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and are unlikely to have dedicated resources or systems that large businesses have in place to respond to modern slavery queries. Mekong Club has guidance available to help SMEs develop a set of frequently asked questions (FAQs) and responses about what they are doing to identify and mitigate modern slavery in their business and supply chain. Procurers and suppliers can use these questions when completing their due diligence on modern slavery. Modern Slavery and SMEs – Mekong Club (external link) The Sustainable Business Network also hosts a free online toolbox, Docket, which is targeted to SMEs and provides a supply chain sustainability self-assessment. It covers 6 key areas: workers’ rights modern slavery worker health and safety carbon emissions reducing waste regenerating nature. It also helps SMEs share their sustainability achievements with customers and networks. Docket: your free online toolbox for a more sustainable supply chain – Sustainable Business Network (external link) Tools and resources The resources below can help you understand how to identify and minimise risks in your supply chain. Identify and minimise labour rights issues in your supply chains pdf 248 KB Assuring ethical and sustainable work practices through procurement pdf 281 KB Risk factors to manage pdf 225 KB Mitigations to reduce risks pdf 210 KB Employer self-assessment checklist pdf 1.5 MB Employer self-assessment guide pdf 1.4 MB Guide for procurers pdf 1.6 MB Supply chain mapping and risk identification tools – Summary report - MartinJenkins pdf 3.9 MB Published: 21 August 2023 Last modified: 3 June 2026 Written for: Everyone Share this page: Print this page: