Modern Slavery in NZ, a conversation with Pearl Valor and Brian Henry

 Modern slavery isn't just happening overseas, it's happening in New Zealand.

Mindful Money Co-CEO Barry Coates sits down with Pearl Valor, Gloriavale survivor, and Brian Henry, founder of Always-Ethical Ltd (Manager of AE KiwiSaver Plan) and leading barrister, to discuss modern slavery, investment accountability, and what Kiwis can do about it.

Pearl shares her lived experience of modern slavery within Gloriavale. The lack of fair compensation, isolation from outside influence, and loss of economic agency that defines this exploitation. Her story is powerful, personal, and a wake up call.

Brian Henry reveals his pro-bono work in the employment court supporting Gloriavale survivors and issues an urgent call to the New Zealand government.

The investment connection:
Almost $4 billion in New Zealand KiwiSaver funds is invested in companies involved in human rights violations which includes modern slavery. AE KiwiSaver Plan operates to a Strict Ethical Mandate embedded in their governance framework. Founder Brian Henry’s commitment to principled leadership reinforces a disciplined approach to ethical investing.

91% of Kiwis don't want their money supporting these practices.
The gap? Most people simply don't know where their investments go. As New Zealand moves forward with Modern Slavery legislation, understanding the scale of this issue, and our power to address it has never been more important.

What you'll learn:
● Pearl's firsthand account of modern slavery in NZ
● The legal work being done to support survivors
● How $4 billion of our retirement savings connects to these issues
● Simple actions you can take to align your investments with your values

Check where your KiwiSaver is invested using the Mindful Money Fund Checker here

Always-Ethical Limited is the issuer of AE KiwiSaver Plan. Please refer to the AE KiwiSaver Plan Product Disclosure Statement on our website (link in bio). www.always-ethical.com.

In accordance with our strict ethical mandate (link in bio) https://always-ethical.com/our-strict.... The annual audit report on our ethical mandate is conducted by William Buck. Refer to the Mindful Money website https://mindfulmoney.nz/kiwisaver/che... to verify our ethical standards (link in bio). The fund itself does not invest in any prohibited activities. The underlying equity investments may, provided the prohibited investment is under 5% of the businesses activity and appropriately purified by donating to the charity for the poor.

The ESG (environment, social, governance) risk weighted average of the fund is calculated at 16.96 as at 31st March 2025. This registers as LOW on the ESG risk scale.

Past performance is not necessarily an indicator of future performance and return periods may differ. Returns maybe negative or positive. Returns are after fees and before taxes. 

This information is not financial advice and therefore should not be relied upon as financial advice.