Safe Enough? The Working Lives of New Zealand Children

Abstract

The experience of New Zealand children in their working lives is a traditionally under­ researched area and existing research has been promulgated from the NGO sector (ACYA 2003, CARITAS 2007 & 2003), with children under the age of 18 recounting their working experiences. Of concern are worrying trends relating to the lack of legislative protection of children, particularly in the areas of minimum age for work and health and safety. Further, key findings are presented from survey and interview data of young adults reflecting on their working lives as children. Working conditions varied widely according to industry type, in which the best working conditions appeared to be those provided by relatives or family friends. While young people were generally positive about their workplace experiences, some dangerous and illegal trends were signposted. These findings challenge the assumptions of the governments and regulatory authorities that children are ‘adequately’ protected by current legislation and practice.

While there continues to be debate regarding New Zealand’s ratification of some United Nations (UN) and International Labour Organisation (ILO) protocols relating to protecting children in their working lives, little discourse is evident relating to domestic legislative and monitoring capacity in this concerning area of the labour market. Therefore, the central aim of this paper is to inform discussion on children’s work and help identify areas of concern in the working conditions of New Zealand children.