Policy Press

Sex Work and the New Zealand Model

Decriminalisation and Social Change

Edited by Lynzi Armstrong and Gillian Abel

Published

Jul 14, 2021

Page count

244 pages

ISBN

978-1529205817

Dimensions

234 x 156 mm

Imprint

Bristol University Press

Published

Jul 22, 2020

Page count

244 pages

ISBN

978-1529205763

Dimensions

234 x 156 mm

Imprint

Bristol University Press

Published

Jul 22, 2020

Page count

244 pages

ISBN

978-1529205787

Dimensions

Imprint

Bristol University Press

Published

Jul 22, 2020

Page count

244 pages

ISBN

978-1529205787

Dimensions

Imprint

Bristol University Press
Sex Work and the New Zealand Model


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In the media

On our blog: Why legal rights and respect for sex workers are paramount during times of crisis

More than 15 years have passed since the law regarding sex workers in New Zealand has changed. As a model it has been endorsed as best practice by international organisations, leading scholars and sex worker-led organisations. Yet in some corners, speculation is ongoing regarding its impacts on the ground.

Written by an international group of experts, this groundbreaking collection provides the much needed in-depth research into how decriminalisation is playing out in sex workers' lives and how different groups of sex workers are experiencing it, while uncovering the challenges and tensions that remain to be negotiated in this field.

Using the evidence from New Zealand, it makes an invaluable contribution to the international debates regarding sex work laws and the global struggle to realise sex workers' rights.

"A significant collection written by scholars, activists and sex workers which debunks the myths of decriminalisation. It critically engages with the impact of the New Zealand model, a huge part of the global decriminalisation movement." Teela Sanders, University of Leicester

"This is an original contribution to the debates on New Zealand’s decriminalised regime. The authors present an innovative examination of a legal model with international appeal.” Jane Scoular, Strathclyde University

Lynzi Armstrong is Senior Lecturer in Criminology at Victoria University of Wellington.

Gillian Abel is Professor and Head of the Department of Population Health at the University of Otago.

Introduction ~ Lynzi Armstrong and Gillian Abel

Part I ~ Legislative Change in New Zealand

‘On the Clients’ Terms’: Sex Work in New Zealand Before Decriminalisation ~ Jan Jordan

Stepping Forward Into the Light of Decriminalisation ~ Dame Catherine Healy, Annah Pickering and Chanel Hati

The Future of Feminism and Sex Work Activism in New Zealand ~ Carisa R. Showden

Part II ~ The Diversity of Sex Workers in New Zealand

The Impacts of Decriminalisation for Trans Sex Workers ~ Fairleigh Gilmour

Fear of Trafficking or Implicit Prejudice?: Migrant Sex Workers and the Impacts of Section 19 ~ Lynzi Armstrong, Gillian Abel, and Michael Roguski

“My Dollar Doesn’t Mean I’ve Got Any Power or Control Over Them”: Clients Speak Out About Purchasing Sex ~ Shannon Mower

Part III ~ Perceptions of Sex Workers in New Zealand

"Genuinely Keen to Work": Sex Work, Emotional Labour, and the News Media ~ Gwyn Easterbrook-Smith

The Disclosure Dilemma: Stigma and Talking About Sex Work in the Decriminalised Context ~ Lynzi Armstrong and Cherida Fraser

Contested Space: Street-based Sex Workers and Community Engagement ~ Gillian Abel