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The issue of forced labor on foreign flagged fishing boats in New Zealand’s waters received significant media attention in 2012 after a publication of a report of the University of Auckland Business School and a media investigation.

Following from the report, over 120 possible victims of forced labour aboard foreign [mostly South Korean-flagged] chartered vessels in the commercial fishing industry were identified. The majority of these individuals, all men, claimed severe underpayment of wages, and some also alleged experiencing additional abuse – including confiscation of passports, imposition of significant debts, physical violence, mental abuse and excessive hours of work.

The