Prostitution is Legal in New Zealand

Do you want to move overseas, but you are not quite sure to which country? Consider New Zealand, which in addition to its spectacular nature and an overall laid back vibe, offers legal prostitution.

I want it known that I personally am not supporting the idea of someone moving across the world to for the sole purpose of having paid sex with strangers. This article is meant to set aside moral judgment and just lay out the facts. So no scathing, raging emails, please, about how both I and this website are evil. It is just information, people!

In 2003, New Zealand passed The Prostitution Reform Act, which effectively decriminalized brothels, pimping, and solicitation of sex. Although before 2003, New Zealand had several laws meant to suppress prostitution, there has always been a high degree of tolerance for the sex trade here.

Where there is no tolerance is with child prostitution. All members even remotely involved in the sex trade must be over the age of 18.

A fundamental part of the success and overall positive reputation of the New Zealand sex trade is the establishment of the New Zealand Prostitutes' Collective (NZPC). A small group of sex workers started this initiative in 1987 as a means of providing support and education for sex industry workers.

Today the NZPC advocates for, and provides support and services to, sex workers all over New Zealand. Organizers regularly attend international conferences, participate in research ventures, and have been seconded by WHO (World Health Organisation) to act as safer-sex educators in the Asia-Pacific region. NZPC has successfully obtained Government funding for an extensive outreach program providing STD testing, health education, and condom distribution, while also working in conjunction with a drug and needle exchange program. Records have shown that the number of HIV positive New Zealand born prostitutes is extremely low, and through the efforts of the NZPC, the AIDS epidemic throughout the New Zealand sex trade is on the decline.

Although numbers are hard to nail down, national estimates are that there are over 8000 sex industry workers in New Zealand. The industry is made up of all types of people, varying widely in religious, ethnic, educational and financial backgrounds. Many like the abundant free time that this job offers them, as many can make more selling sex in one night than they could working an office job for a week. Many are self-employed, or choose to work for a brothel which provides more security and regulation.

New Zealand is usually regarded as a laid-back, tolerant country, and its attitude towards the sex industry only helps to strengthen that reputation.

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