New Zealand King Salmon
On Track. Pays or is working towards a living wage, with gaps still to close.
Last researched 23 October 2026 · 7 sources
New Zealand farmed king salmon company behind the Ōra King and Regal brands.
New Zealand King Salmon makes its farmed king salmon in its own factories in New Zealand, where labour laws are strong and legal wages are about a living wage.
Also worth knowing
It publishes a modern slavery statement.
Best available in salmon and farmed fish. No brand in this category is Good yet, and New Zealand King Salmon is the strongest we've rated: no serious red flags, and paying or working towards a living wage. How we pick
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent New Zealand King Salmon? Send a right of reply.
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Why it's graded On Track
- Not met: Meets 6 of 7 Good requirements.
- Met: No red flags.
Good requirements 6 of 7
- Met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: presumed because legal wages in New Zealand are about a living wage, not checked at the company
- Met: Respects worker rights
- Met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standardsPresumed from where it's made, not audited
- Met: Shows where its earlier production stages happen, not just the final oneEarlier stages shown
- Met: No child or forced labour findings or links
- Met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that listMakes its products in its own factories
- Not met: Traces its catch to the boat or farm and has crews' or farm workers' conditions checked independently
Red flags 0
None found.
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
From New Zealand King Salmon's own disclosure: it makes its products in its own factories.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | Strong protections | About a living wage | Low |
Evidence
What we found
- Risk across the industry, not a finding about this company: fishing fleets and processing plants have some of the worst documented forced labour, including trafficked crews held at sea for years.
- Owns or runs its own production
- Traces most of its fish and seafood to named fishing boats or farms
- Modern slavery statement
- It traces some of its catch or holds environmental labels such as MSC, ASC or BAP, but doesn't show both that its catch is traced to the boat or farm and that crews' or farm workers' conditions are checked independently.
Research notes NZ King Salmon raises all its fish at its own hatcheries and six sea farms in the Marlborough Sounds and processes them at its own plant in Nelson. Its farms, hatcheries and plant are BAP certified at 4-star level, covering worker rules in industry-paid audits, but no independent social audits or worker interviews at its sites are reported. Its statements rate fish feed, made from ingredients from Peru, Chile, India, Thailand and Brazil, as a higher modern slavery risk and say supplier audits focus mainly on food safety. It uses labour-hire contractors and visa workers in busy periods.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | New Zealand King Salmon lodges modern slavery statements in Australia; the statement for February-September 2025 reports no modern slavery findings and rates fish feed as its higher-risk supply category. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Regal King Salmon launches in Australia via Coles (Inside FMCG, 2021) · search the archive · Regal smoked salmon and portions sold in Coles stores nationwide; salmon raised in the Marlborough Sounds
- Union nets wage deal for NZ King Salmon workers (Undercurrent News, 2017) · Union brokered a three-year pay deal covering all NZ King Salmon workers, raising the lowest-paid workers' wages by more than 10%
- Fish die-offs, pandemic force salmon producer to lay off 25 percent of workforce (Salmon Business, 2022) · May 2022: NZ King Salmon cut 139 jobs, mainly in processing, almost 25% of its workforce, after warm-water fish deaths
- Feed Mill Certification Lifts New Zealand King Salmon To Four-Star BAP (Global Seafood Alliance, 2018) · search the archive · BAP certification covers its processing plant, salmon farms and hatcheries, plus its main feed mill
Published by New Zealand King Salmon or its owner
- New Zealand King Salmon Modern Slavery Statement, February-September 2025 · search the archive · 445 employees; Nelson processing plant; six sea farms in Marlborough Sounds; BAP 4-star since 2018; labour hire in busy periods; no findings
- New Zealand King Salmon Modern Slavery Statement FY25 · search the archive · 466 employees; BAP covers forced and child labour, contracts and grievances; supplier audits mainly food safety with a social component; feed rated higher risk
- New Zealand King Salmon Modern Slavery Statement FY23 · search the archive · Feed ingredients from Peru, Chile, India, Thailand and Brazil; fish feed among higher-risk categories; labour hire used
Company details
- Headquarters
- New Zealand
- Employees
- About 445
- Last researched
- 23 October 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is New Zealand King Salmon ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/new-zealand-king-salmon, last researched 23 October 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What On Track means
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent New Zealand King Salmon.