Selling sex legally in New Zealand bears little resemblance to selling it illegally elsewhere:
Lucy works in Bon Ton, an exclusive establishment in the capital where an hour-long session costs NZ$400 (£140; $200). She says the reform has given her the opportunity to work for a legitimate business in a safe environment.
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Lucy’s manager, Sarah, also believes criminalising clients would be a disaster for the industry and put the girls at risk.Bon Ton caters to gentlemen who want to be “pampered in every way”
“This would scare away the quality customers,” she says. “We would be left with the dangerous sort. The nasty men won’t go away.”
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According to Catherine Healy of the New Zealand Prostitutes Collective (NZPC), better and safer working practices are now the norm.Across the industry, she says, women are now aware of their rights and exploitative brothel owners are becoming marginalised as a result of the reform.
“Sex workers say: I can work across town,” she says. “The dynamic has altered.”
Anna Reed, who was a sex worker in Christchurch for 23 years and is now NZPC’s local spokesperson, agrees that exploitative practices have become rare.
“Owners used to demand huge fines for being late. They used to hire and fire workers without reason.” But now, she says, “girls feel more able to stand up for themselves”.
Another key benefit of decriminalisation, according to Ms Healy, is a sea change in relations with the police: “If you’re the one committing a crime, you won’t ask the police for help.”
Now, Ms Healy says, the girls find law enforcement officials are on their side.
Another important point: it’s legal, but still frowned upon.