Morgan Theakston

Is your EV or e-bike running on child slavery?

OPINION: Should you buy an electric car or e-bike or install solar panels in your home? Morgan Theakston argues that the environmental benefits hide a big hidden human cost in child and forced labour.

A decade after Bangladesh's horror building collapse, we still haven't passed modern slavery laws

OPINION: 2023 marks the 10th anniversary of the clothing industry’s darkest hour. This year the New Zealand Government is also poised to introduce a bill to address slavery in our supply chains. But it’s at risk of being added to the next tranche of ‘reprioritisation’.

Why I Decided To Break Up With Fast Fashion... And Quit Clothes Shopping For A Year - Capsule NZ

Guest author Morgan Theakston takes on her journey to give up shopping for a year and her tips on reducing her clothing consumption

Nine years since Rana Plaza, it's time for NZ to stand up against modern slavery

Nine years ago today, the Rana Plaza building in Dhaka, Bangladesh, collapsed. Five garment factories, supplying major international brands, were reduced to rubble. That day 1,132 people died and more than 2,500 were injured. They were workers who were also mums, desperate to earn enough to feed their families. They were sisters supporting their younger siblings to stay in school...

From bean to bar: Unwrapping the dark side of chocolate - fair&good

As Christmas approaches, shops are lined with chocolate treats, but behind the sweet facade of brightly coloured foil lies the bitter taste of slavery and child labour. World Vision's Advocacy Campaigns and Policy Advisor Morgan Theakston explores the dark side of a favourite holiday treat.

Your makeup bag is dirtier than you think - fair&good

Behind our ''cruelty-free'' beauty products lies a reality so cruel that it's been concealed for decades. World Vision's Morgan Theakston explores her makeup bag in light of World Vision's recent report that exposes the cosmetic industry's dirty secret of child labour and gives us all a few tips on

Would You Like Some Slave Labour With Your Stilettos? Why The Shoe Industry Is Failing Its...

Guest Writer Morgan Theakston tells Capsule about the insights from Tearfund's deep-dive into the shoe industry its the unsustainable impact.

Spilling the Beans: The Bitter Truth of Chocolate + why chocolate companies need to do better for...

While supermarket shoppers are dazzled by foil-wrapped bunnies and decadent chocolate eggs in anticipation of Easter morning, the mass-market cocoa industry will sigh in relief: it has, once again, concealed its dark underbelly stuffed to the brim with exploitation. Though it may taste heavenly, the truth is that most chocolate contains the bitterness of child labour and modern slavery no amount of sugar can mask. But what if it doesn't have to be this way, and what if you could help change...

Tearfund's Correspondent Supporter Magazine

The Correspondent Supporter Magazine is a creative take on a donor report. My stories are featured in pages 8-9 and 14-15.

Footwear: An Industry Laced with Exploitation

It’s a sweltering day in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and Mohsin and Helal are telling us about their jobs at the leather tanneries. They’ve both spent nearly 40 years chemically treating hides to turn them into leather that, down-the-line, will be fashioned into a pair of trendy boots. This is dangerous and low-paid work. They have both seen numerous people die...

“I Have to Keep Fighting”: How World Vision Helped One Woman Overcome TB and Rebuild Her Life

In the tranquil hills of Mae Fa Luang, a remote village near the Thai-Myanmar border, Aye* and her husband, Min*, rise early in their bamboo hut, perched on a hilltop amid a panorama of rice fields and winding roads...

The Migrant Volunteers Bridging Gaps in Thailand’s Healthcare System

Thailand’s community health system is often hailed as a public health success story. But it’s a system many migrants can’t access. To close thisgap, World Vision Foundation of Thailand has helped develop a network of migrant health volunteers trained to bring essential health services directly to these communities. These are their stories.

วัณโรค ความหวัง และการเยียวยา - World Vision Thailand

ผู้รอดชีวิตจากวัณโรค ที่ได้รับการสนับสนุนดูแลรักษาอย่างต่อเนื่องโดยมูลนิธิศุภนิมิตฯ จนสามารถกลับมาใช้ชีวิตได้อย่างมีความสุขอีกครั้ง

Supply Chain Risk Report 2023: Aotearoa New Zealand Imports Linked to Child and Forced Labour

This report highlights New Zealand’s imports associated with child and forced labour and examines how other countries are scrutinizing their supply chains and addressing imports linked to these issues. This report was directly handed to New Zealand's Deputy Prime Minister and informed New Zealand's modern slavery due diligence law. It was covered in all of New Zealand's top media outlets and internationally through the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre.

Risky Business: A Modern Slavery Risk Profile of Aotearoa New Zealand Businesses

This research provides a baseline understanding of the number of New Zealand businesses working in typically high-risk service/product areas, the extent to which businesses are currently addressing slavery in their supply chains, and any gaps in knowledge regarding risk reporting.

2022 Ethical Fashion Report

The fashion industry is in the top five global industries at risk of modern slavery. The 2022 Ethical Fashion Report surveys 581 brands across 18 indicators of supply chain practice to assess the fashion industry’s impact on people and the planet and the responses of major local and international fashion brands. This report was covered widely in media across Australia and New Zealand.

2021 Ethical Fashion Report

The 2021 Ethical Fashion Report surveys 480 brands across 18 indicators of supply chain practice to assess the fashion industry’s impact on people and the planet and the responses of local and international fashion brands. The report is a call for fashion companies to escalate the pace of change towards a more ethical and sustainable industry, and aims to inspire action and change-making conversations with companies, governments, and citizens. This report was covered in all major news...

THE HIGH PRICE OF BEAUTY: Child labour in global cosmetics

The research identifies cosmetics ingredients that have a high risk of child labour in their sourcing and production, describes key efforts worldwide to reduce the prevalence of child labour in cosmetics, and highlights necessary changes in policy and consumer behavior. I developed New Zealand-specific policy recommendations and authored pages 30-32 to incorporate World Vision New Zealand's findings and recommendations.

Migration, Development, and Diaspora Governance: A comparative analysis of the diaspora...

This paper explores the state-diaspora relationship and the ways that diaspora engagement is increasingly becoming a mechanism of global migration governance.

NZ humanitarian organisations urge political leaders to intensify efforts

World Vision calls for Mass Arrivals Bill to be scrapped

The hidden cost of beauty report

8 out of 10 Kiwis support new law against modern slavery

NZ households spend $77 a week on goods linked to child labour

Coalition launches project to end violence against children in Solomon Islands

Campaign work: Progress Modern Slavery Legislation Before the Election

This is a video collaboration campaign I managed for World Vision's Progress Modern Slavery Legislation campaign. This campaign won the Council for International Development collaboration award.

Social media campaign work to end child marriage in Solomon Islands.

The Solomon Islands Ending Violence Against Pikinini/Children (SIEVAP) coalition is advocating to increase the legal marriage age in the Solomon Islands from 15 to 18 through the "Make it 18" campaign. "Children are the world’s most valuable resource and best hope for the future. So let us all work together for the wellbeing of us children as we deserve the right to be looked after, have healthy food, feel safe, get a good education, be respected, and be protected," says 13-year-old Kathleen...

Social media reel for World Day of Social Justice

Video scripting work for a World Day of Social Justice social post.

Interview on 1News where I discuss Tearfund's research into exploitation in the footwear industry.

LifeFM Interview

The Morning Wake Up had interesting chat with Morgan Theakston - Tearfund Advocacy Specialist around an in depth expose on the footwear industry...

NZ importing goods linked to child and forced labour

Staying with money - there are a lot of sales on, with substantial Black Friday discounts tomorrow. But new research from World Vision shows New Zealand imported nearly 8 billion dollars worth of goods linked to child and forced labour last year. Morgan Theakston at World Vision NZ joins us now to explain the situation.

Major Kiwi shoe brands score poorly in ethical fashion report

An ethical fashion report shining a light on footwear companies said major Kiwi brands are lacking transparency about how they are protecting their workers...

Policy puts spotlight on slave labour in the solar panel supply chain

"We would hope that, with any policy, human rights due diligence into the conditions in which solar panels are produced would be a top priority for the government," said spokesperson Morgan Theakston...

NZ footwear retailers reluctant to be transparent about their products

Tearfund New Zealand has just completed a survey of 25 footwear companies that represent more than 90 shoe brands to track their transparency when it comes to human rights and environmental practices.

Panel Discussion on Worker Exploitation at The Justice Conference

Oral policy submission to New Zealand Parliament

This was an oral policy submission I wrote and presented to the New Zealand Government on the Worker Protection (Migrant and Other Employees) Bill. Starting at 48:00.

Open Letter: Progress modern slavery legislation before the election

This was a petition I drafted to the New Zealand government to progress modern slavery legislation before the 2023 election. This petition was successful, receiving over 6,000 signatures. Shortly after, on Friday July 28th, 2023, the government announced they would be introducing a modern slavery law.

'A beacon of hope': Ukrainian community welcomes new residency announcement for those fleeing war

This press conference with the Minister of Immigration was the culmination of over a year of advocacy to secure a pathway to residency for those who had sought safety in New Zealand following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Web copywriting- Advocacy landing page

Modern Slavery Legislation Campaign

A selection of deliverables from WVNZ's campaign to introduce modern slavery legislation in New Zealand (web, social media, email).