A roadside mural in Auckland, New Zealand. Chris Christian/Flickr. CC (by-nc)
New Zealand is a unusual context in which to explore the dynamics of sex worker-led organising against exploitation and the influence and impacts of the anti-trafficking framework on sex workers’ lives. What makes the country’s context so unique is its legal framework. New Zealand became the first country in the world to fully decriminalise sex work when the Prostitution Reform Act (PRA) was passed in 2003. It is also distinct because of the central role played by the sex worker-led New Zealand Prostitutes’ Collective (NZPC). NZPC was established by a small group of sex workers in 1987. It has since developed into a strong, government funded organisation that is well respected as an authority on sex work issues. The organisation led a successful campaign for law reform which culminated in the decriminalisation of sex work in 2003. Thus, the situation in New Zealand is unique not only due to the legal framework in place, but also because of the impact sex worker organising has had on the government’s approach to sex work.
