Resources
Resources for sex workers
in New Zealand
The law on sex work and escort advertising, tax and ACC for self-employed escorts, free sexual health testing and supplies, crisis and support lines, screening and safety guides, and the organisations run by sex workers themselves. Every link on this page is checked and working; the date next to each one is when it was last tested.
The law
What the Prostitution Reform Act and the rules around it actually say, from the source.
Prostitution Reform Act 2003
legislation.govt.nz
The Act itself on the official legislation site: the purposes, safer sex requirements, advertising rules, who needs a certificate, the age and immigration limits.
For: Everyone. Read it once.
checked 2026-08-28
PRA section 11: advertising restrictions
legislation.govt.nz
No radio, TV or cinema; newspapers only in the classifieds; no sign in a public place. The internet is not on the list, which is why NZ escorts advertise online.
For: Anyone placing or publishing an advertisement.
checked 2026-08-28
PRA section 17: you can refuse at any time
legislation.govt.nz
A booking, a payment or a contract is not consent. A sex worker may refuse to provide or continue a service at any point.
For: Workers, and clients who need it explained.
checked 2026-08-28
PRA section 19: immigration and sex work
legislation.govt.nz
No visa is granted on the basis of sex work and every temporary visa carries a condition against it. Read before you list if you are not a citizen or resident.
For: Anyone in New Zealand on a temporary visa.
checked 2026-08-28
Community Law: sex workers, your rights
communitylaw.org.nz
The Community Law Manual chapter on sex work: who can do it, where and how you can work, your rights on the job, discrimination and harassment. Lawyer-maintained, plain English.
For: Workers who want the law explained rather than quoted.
checked 2026-08-28
Immigration NZ instruction E7.40
immigration.govt.nz
The operational instruction an immigration officer applies: the visa condition, and deportation liability. The official version of section 19.
For: Temporary visa holders and the people who employ or advertise them.
checked 2026-08-28
Immigration NZ: help for victims of migrant exploitation
immigration.govt.nz
How a migrant being exploited at work reports it and what protection is available.
For: Migrant workers, and anyone who suspects exploitation.
checked 2026-08-28
Prostitution Law Review Committee report (2008)
justice.govt.nz
The statutory five-year review of decriminalisation, hosted by the Ministry of Justice. The evidence most often cited that the law works.
For: Anyone arguing about the NZ model with facts.
checked 2026-08-28
WorkSafe: keeping healthy and safe in the NZ sex industry
worksafe.govt.nz
The regulator's guide, rewritten with NZPC in 2024, for independents as well as managed workers. What reasonable health and safety steps look like in this work.
For: Every worker, and every operator.
checked 2026-08-28
HealthEd: health and safety information for sex workers
healthed.govt.nz
The free official pamphlet, orderable in print, on safer sex requirements and health and safety at work.
For: Workers; hand it to an operator or a client.
checked 2026-08-28
NZ Police and NZPC: a guide for sex workers who have experienced sexual assault
police.govt.nz
What happens when a sex worker reports an assault: name suppression, medical examination, support. Written by Police with NZPC.
For: Anyone deciding whether reporting is worth it. It is.
checked 2026-08-28
NZ Police 105: report non-emergencies online
police.govt.nz
Report theft, fraud or a threat online or by phone without walking into a station. For an emergency, 111.
For: Workers and clients.
105
checked 2026-08-28
Christchurch City Council: Brothels Bylaw 2013
ccc.govt.nz
Where operator-run brothels may be located in Christchurch and what signage is allowed, with maps.
For: Christchurch workers thinking about premises.
checked 2026-08-28
Hamilton City Council: Prostitution Bylaw 2019
hamilton.govt.nz
Permitted areas, the 100 metre rule near schools, childcare, churches and marae, and signage limits. Survived court challenge, so expect it enforced as written.
For: Hamilton workers and operators.
checked 2026-08-28
Tauranga City Council: brothels and the Prostitution Bylaw 2019
tauranga.govt.nz
Location limits for larger businesses, the exemption for home-based and small owner-operated set-ups, and signage rules.
For: Tauranga workers.
checked 2026-08-28
Queenstown Lakes: Brothel Control Bylaw 2024
qldc.govt.nz
In force from September 2024: permitted areas in Queenstown and Wanaka, spacing, not at or below ground level, limited signage. One of the most restrictive in the country.
For: Anyone touring or based in Queenstown Lakes.
checked 2026-08-28
Auckland Council: opening a brothel or commercial sex business
aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
Auckland has no brothel bylaw; this page points to the Health and Hygiene Bylaw and the Signage Bylaw that do apply.
For: Auckland operators and small owner-operated set-ups.
checked 2026-08-28
Harmful Digital Communications Act: sharing intimate images without consent
legislation.govt.nz
Section 22A, added in 2022: posting an intimate visual recording of someone without their consent is an offence in itself, with no need to prove intent to harm.
For: Anyone whose photos have been shared or threatened.
checked 2026-08-28
Netsafe: the Harmful Digital Communications Act in plain language
resource.netsafe.org.nz
The approved agency's one-page guide to the ten communication principles and how to make a report.
For: Anyone dealing with online harassment or image abuse.
checked 2026-08-28
Privacy Commissioner: your privacy rights
privacy.org.nz
What any organisation, including a directory, must do with your personal information, and how to ask for what they hold on you.
For: Advertisers on any site, including this one.
checked 2026-08-28
Employment NZ: reporting migrant exploitation
employment.govt.nz
How to report exploitation at work, with interpreters, and what happens next.
For: Migrant workers.
0800 200 088
checked 2026-08-28
Citizens Advice Bureau: what are my rights as a sex worker?
cab.org.nz
The CAB's short answer with the essentials and where to go next. Free advice by phone or at any bureau.
For: Anyone who wants the one-page version.
checked 2026-08-28
Money and tax
Self-employment, tax, ACC and banking, from the agencies themselves.
Inland Revenue IR296: tax for private operators in the sex industry
ird.govt.nz
IRD's own factsheet for this work: what counts as income, the IR3 and its dates, provisional tax, the $60,000 GST line, and its own list of what you can claim (condoms, lube, work clothes, advertising, tests) and what you cannot.
For: Every self-employed worker. Start here.
0800 377 774 for free IRD seminars
checked 2026-08-28
Inland Revenue: self-employed
ird.govt.nz
The entry page for sole traders: IRD numbers, home office, record keeping, provisional tax, expenses, GST.
For: Anyone working for themselves.
checked 2026-08-28
Get an IRD number
ird.govt.nz
How to apply, free. Everything else about tax needs one first.
For: New workers.
checked 2026-08-28
The IR3 return, due 7 July
ird.govt.nz
The individual income tax return a private operator files each year, and when.
For: Self-employed workers.
checked 2026-08-28
Provisional tax: the second-year surprise
ird.govt.nz
If you owed more than $5,000 last year you pay next year's tax in instalments. Read it before the first year ends, not after.
For: Anyone in their first good year.
checked 2026-08-28
Registering for GST
ird.govt.nz
Compulsory once sales reach $60,000 in the last or next twelve months, optional below. How the test works and how to register.
For: Anyone earning more than about $1,150 a week.
checked 2026-08-28
Record keeping: seven years, cash included
ird.govt.nz
What IRD expects you to keep and for how long. Cash income is still income.
For: Every worker, especially cash-heavy ones.
checked 2026-08-28
Business expenses you can claim
ird.govt.nz
The general rules on business expenses, home office and vehicle costs. Read with IR296's examples.
For: Self-employed workers.
checked 2026-08-28
KiwiSaver when you are self-employed
ird.govt.nz
Join directly with a provider. No employer contribution, but the government contribution is still yours each year.
For: Anyone without an employer.
checked 2026-08-28
ACC cover for the self-employed
acc.co.nz
You are covered by default and levied on your declared income. Compensation is up to 80% of it, so under-declaring shrinks your cover.
For: Every self-employed worker.
checked 2026-08-28
ACC Levy Guidebook 2026/27 (PDF)
acc.co.nz
The published classification units and BIC codes, including the ones for escort and prostitution services. Look yours up; nobody should pick it for you.
For: Anyone filling in an IR3 or an ACC form.
checked 2026-08-28
business.govt.nz: becoming a sole trader
business.govt.nz
The government's plain checklist for setting up as a sole trader, with the tax basics and the structure tool.
For: New workers.
checked 2026-08-28
ONECheck: is your working name free?
tools2.business.govt.nz
Checks a name against companies, domains, trade marks and social handles in one go.
For: Anyone choosing a work name.
checked 2026-08-28
Kiwibank Responsible Business Policy
kiwibank.co.nz
The one NZ bank with a written position: adult entertainment is a sensitive sector it will work with, not an excluded one. Show it to your banker.
For: Anyone opening or defending a business account.
checked 2026-08-28
Code of Banking Practice (November 2025, PDF)
nzba.org.nz
What every NZ bank has promised its customers, including to act fairly and in good faith, and how to complain to the bank and then the Banking Ombudsman.
For: Anyone whose account is being closed or refused.
checked 2026-08-28
Sorted: switching to self-employed
sorted.org.nz
The government's money-guidance site on the provisional tax double year, budgeting with lumpy income and KiwiSaver without an employer.
For: First-year sole traders.
checked 2026-08-28
Vault Accounting: adult industry tax specialists
vaultaccounting.co.nz
A New Zealand accountancy that says in public it works with sex workers, escorts, performers and content creators, and offers a free confidential first chat.
For: Anyone who wants an accountant who will not flinch.
checked 2026-08-28
Community Law: independent contractors
communitylaw.org.nz
Your rights and obligations as a contractor rather than an employee, which is how most agency and parlour work is set up.
For: Anyone working through an agency or parlour.
checked 2026-08-28
Health
Sexual health, supplies, testing and vaccination, mostly free.
Health NZ: public sexual health clinics
healthnz.govt.nz
Free and confidential in every district: STI testing and treatment, condoms, emergency contraception, HIV advice including PEP and PrEP, and support after sexual harm.
For: Everyone. Free means free.
checked 2026-08-28
Every NZ sexual health clinic, by district
nzshs.org
The Sexual Health Society's list of public clinics with addresses and phone numbers, from Whangarei to Invercargill.
For: Anyone outside the main centres.
checked 2026-08-28
Auckland Sexual Health Service
healthnz.govt.nz
Free, confidential, with walk-in clinics at West and South Auckland. Note the current syphilis outbreak advice.
For: Auckland workers and clients.
0800 739 432
checked 2026-08-28
Wellington Sexual Health Service
wellingtonsexualhealth.org.nz
Free for eligible people in greater Wellington and the Wairarapa, by appointment. PEP, PrEP and DoxyPEP available.
For: Wellington region.
0800 188 881
checked 2026-08-28
Christchurch sexual health clinic
healthnz.govt.nz
Free and confidential, appointment required, take-home STI kits available. 314 Riccarton Road.
For: Canterbury.
03 364 0485
checked 2026-08-28
Waikato sexual health (Hamilton)
healthnz.govt.nz
Free to everyone: testing, treatment, PEP and PrEP prescribing, free condoms.
For: Hamilton and the Waikato.
0800 322 226
checked 2026-08-28
Sexual Wellbeing Aotearoa clinics
sexualwellbeing.org.nz
The clinics that used to be Family Planning. Free under 22, $7.50 with a Community Services Card. Contraception, STI testing, cervical screening.
For: Anyone, nationwide.
0800 372 546
checked 2026-08-28
Get Tested NZ: free STI self-test kits by post
gettestednz.org.nz
No symptoms, no clinic: a free kit arrives in the mail, you send it back, the results come to you.
For: Regular testing between clinic visits.
0508 438 8378
checked 2026-08-28
Burnett Foundation Aotearoa
burnettfoundation.org.nz
HIV testing and self-tests, PrEP and PEP information with a provider map, free condoms, free counselling, and support after sexual harm.
For: Everyone, with services built for gay, bi and trans people.
0800 802 437
checked 2026-08-28
PEP: emergency HIV prevention within 72 hours
burnettfoundation.org.nz
What PEP is, the 72-hour window, where to get it, and who is funded.
For: Anyone after a condom failure or an assault. Do not wait.
checked 2026-08-28
Health NZ: PrEP, who is funded
healthnz.govt.nz
The official funding criteria for PrEP, and how others can still get a prescription through a healthcare provider.
For: Anyone considering PrEP.
checked 2026-08-28
Healthline
healthnz.govt.nz
Free nurses and paramedics on the phone, 24 hours, any health question.
For: Anyone, any hour.
0800 611 116
checked 2026-08-28
HPV vaccine: free from 9 to 26
healthnz.govt.nz
Who gets the HPV vaccine free and where. Ask at any sexual health clinic.
For: Under 27, and anyone who can ask a clinic about eligibility.
checked 2026-08-28
Red Book Online: sexual health by sex workers
sin.org.au
The peer-written, medically checked guide to STIs and blood-borne viruses for sex workers, with photos of symptoms and multilingual versions.
For: Everyone who works.
checked 2026-08-28
Support and crisis
Someone to talk to, day or night, and help after violence or abuse.
NZPC: what to do after a sexual assault (PDF)
new.nzpc.org.nz
A guide written for sex workers by sex workers: medical care, reporting, support, and what your rights are whatever you decide to do.
For: Any worker after an assault, whether or not you report it.
checked 2026-08-28
Safe to Talk: sexual harm helpline
safetotalk.nz
Free, confidential, 24 hours, by phone, text or webchat. Trained people who can also help start an ACC sensitive claim.
For: Anyone affected by sexual harm, now or years ago.
0800 044 334, text 4334
checked 2026-08-28
Victim Support
victimsupport.org.nz
Free 24-hour support after any crime, whether or not you report it to Police.
For: Workers and clients.
0800 842 846
checked 2026-08-28
1737: need to talk?
1737.org.nz
Free call or text, any time, to a trained counsellor. Also carries the Alcohol Drug Helpline number.
For: Anyone, for anything.
call or text 1737
checked 2026-08-28
Lifeline Aotearoa
lifeline.org.nz
24-hour phone and text support, and the Suicide Crisis Helpline on 0508 828 865.
For: Anyone in distress.
0800 543 354, text 4357
checked 2026-08-28
Depression Helpline
depression.org.nz
Free, 24 hours, phone or text.
For: Anyone.
0800 111 757, text 4202
checked 2026-08-28
Shine: family violence helpline
2shine.org.nz
24-hour helpline and webchat for anyone experiencing violence from a partner or family member.
For: Anyone, any gender.
0508 744 633
checked 2026-08-28
Women's Refuge crisis line
womensrefuge.org.nz
24-hour crisis line and live chat, safe houses, and a finder for your local refuge.
For: Women and children.
0800 733 843
checked 2026-08-28
HELP Auckland: sexual abuse support
helpauckland.org.nz
24-hour crisis support, counselling and advocacy in Auckland.
For: Auckland.
0800 623 1700
checked 2026-08-28
Wellington Rape Crisis
wellingtonrapecrisis.org.nz
Free counselling and social work, self-referral, for survivors and their supporters in Wellington.
For: Wellington.
04 801 8973
checked 2026-08-28
Gender Minorities Aotearoa
genderminorities.com
Trans-led: peer support, counselling, housing help, a trans-friendly healthcare map and an ID clinic.
For: Trans and non-binary workers.
022 673 7002
checked 2026-08-28
OutLine Aotearoa
outline.org.nz
Rainbow peer support by phone and chat, 6pm to 9pm every day.
For: LGBTQIA+ workers and clients.
0800 688 5463
checked 2026-08-28
Shakti: migrant and refugee women
shakti.org.nz
24-hour multilingual crisis line, safe houses, advocacy and free counselling for Asian, African and Middle Eastern women.
For: Migrant women facing violence.
0800 742 584
checked 2026-08-28
Alcohol Drug Helpline
alcoholdrughelp.org.nz
Free, confidential, 24 hours, phone or chat, for your own use or someone else's.
For: Anyone.
0800 787 797
checked 2026-08-28
Safety and practice
Screening, bad-date reporting, digital safety and the peer organisations who wrote the book on it.
Consumer Protection Scamwatch
consumerprotection.govt.nz
The government's scam reporting and advice service. What to do if you have paid a scammer, and what your bank may be able to do.
For: Anyone who has been scammed, worker or client.
checked 2026-08-28
The Level: free, legal drug checking
thelevel.org.nz
The NZ Drug Foundation's finder for free drug checking clinics, which are legal and confidential. Know what is in it before it is in you.
For: Anyone who uses, or whose clients do.
checked 2026-08-28
WorkSafe and NZPC guide: the outcall screening checklist (PDF)
worksafe.govt.nz
The regulator's own screening table for outcalls: take a name, address and phone and call back, check against previous reports, agree services and price, a support person, check the venue, a charged phone and an alarm. Also states plainly that stealthing can be reported and prosecuted.
For: Every independent worker. It is the New Zealand version of the practice.
checked 2026-08-28
Beyond the Gaze: safety and privacy for online sex workers
beyond-the-gaze.com
The most complete free screening guide found, written by sex workers with a UK university: pre-booking checks, buddying and check-ins, in-calls, outcalls, alarms, and removing your digital footprint.
For: Anyone building a screening routine.
checked 2026-08-28
Beyond the Gaze: pre-booking screening
beyond-the-gaze.com
Number and email checking, references, deposits, and how warning schemes work.
For: Independent escorts.
checked 2026-08-28
Beyond the Gaze: buddying and check-in messages
beyond-the-gaze.com
A check-in routine: on arrival, when the client arrives, when the money is checked, when you are clear. Apps and emergency messages.
For: Anyone working alone, especially on tour.
checked 2026-08-28
RhED: Starting Out, independent escorting (PDF)
sexworker.org.au
A peer-written starter guide from Victoria: screening, deposits, a check-in buddy, and bad-date reporting.
For: New independents.
checked 2026-08-28
Respect Inc: negotiating the booking
respectqld.org.au
Agreeing service, time and price before anything starts, from the Queensland peer organisation. Companion sheets on difficult clients, non-payment and stalking.
For: Workers, and worth a read for clients.
checked 2026-08-28
Respect Inc: drink spiking for sex workers
respectqld.org.au
Signs, what to do and what to keep, written for this work rather than for a night out.
For: Anyone who takes a drink on a booking.
checked 2026-08-28
The Level: what to do if your drink has been spiked
thelevel.org.nz
The NZ Drug Foundation's steps: symptoms, keep the drink and a urine sample, do not shower if an assault is possible, where to go.
For: Workers and clients.
checked 2026-08-28
NZ Police: what can I do if I have been sexually assaulted?
police.govt.nz
Preserve evidence, you can report days or years later, and you do not have to make a formal complaint to get advice. Police list NZPC as a support agency.
For: Anyone after an assault.
checked 2026-08-28
Police: 105 reports are not anonymous
police.govt.nz
Reports through 105 carry your details. For an anonymous tip use Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.
For: Anyone weighing up how to report.
0800 555 111 (Crime Stoppers)
checked 2026-08-28
NZPC: our right to say yes or no (poster)
new.nzpc.org.nz
Yes shower, yes condom, no biting, no cameras, no force. Print it for the room.
For: Workers and clients.
checked 2026-08-28
Burnett Foundation: free condoms, delivered
burnettfoundation.org.nz
Free condoms and lube posted anywhere in New Zealand, plus a finder for places that hand them out.
For: Everyone. Section 9 requires them; these are free.
checked 2026-08-28
National Ugly Mugs (UK): how a bad-date alert scheme works
nationaluglymugs.org
The reference model for peer warning schemes: members report, caseworkers verify, alerts go out with consent. New Zealand has no public list; NZPC bases share warnings in person.
For: Anyone asking why NZ has no ugly mugs list, and what one looks like.
checked 2026-08-28
SWOP NSW: for clients of the sex industry
swopnsw.org.au
The short list every client should read: be polite, always use condoms, agree the service and price first, be clean and sober, respect each worker's limits.
For: Clients.
checked 2026-08-28
Google Lens: reverse image search
lens.google
Search the web by image. Test your own photos before you post them to see whether they lead back to you; and check a listing's photos before you book.
For: Workers and clients.
checked 2026-08-28
TinEye reverse image search
tineye.com
A second engine for the same check; different index, different hits.
For: Workers and clients.
checked 2026-08-28
Strip photo metadata before you post
exifremover.com
Removes location, date and camera data from photos in the browser, without uploading them anywhere.
For: Anyone posting their own photos.
checked 2026-08-28
Signal messenger
signal.org
End-to-end encrypted messages and calls, with disappearing messages you can turn on by default.
For: Anyone who screens by message.
checked 2026-08-28
Ministry of Justice: harmful digital communications
justice.govt.nz
What the Act covers, the court orders available, and how Netsafe fits in when someone posts or threatens to post your images.
For: Anyone dealing with online harassment or image abuse.
checked 2026-08-28
Community
Organisations run by and for sex workers, in New Zealand and elsewhere.
New Zealand Prostitutes Collective
nzpc.org.nz
Run by sex workers for sex workers since 1987. Drop-in centres, free supplies, occupational health advice, help with the law and with employment matters.
For: Every sex worker in New Zealand, any gender, age or immigration status.
checked 2026-08-28
NZPC branches and contact
nzpc.org.nz
Every branch on one page: Wellington, Auckland, Tauranga and Christchurch drop-ins with hours, and outreach phone lines for Dunedin, Manawatu, Hawke's Bay and the Waikato.
For: Any sex worker, anywhere in New Zealand.
04 382 8791
checked 2026-08-28
NZPC: for sex workers, and the free New Worker Pack
nzpc.org.nz
Condoms, lube and the printed guides (Stepping Forward, Doing it in Style, PUMP, Working in New Zealand) couriered free anywhere in NZ. Free clinics at the Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch branches.
For: New workers first, but the pack is for anyone.
checked 2026-08-28
NZPC resources and guides
nzpc.org.nz
The current PDFs: what to do after a sexual assault, the WorkSafe and NZPC health and safety guide, the Business ABC booklet, and a list of court cases sex workers have won.
For: Workers who want it in writing.
checked 2026-08-28
Scarlet Alliance (Australia)
scarletalliance.org.au
The Australian sex workers' association: law by state, migrant worker resources, workplace exploitation, and the Red Book. Much of it travels.
For: Workers moving between NZ and Australia, and anyone comparing the laws.
checked 2026-08-28
Vixen (Victoria)
vixen.org.au
Peer organisation with a gated bad-date lookup, a legal program, a crisis fund and a verified-only housing chat. The model for how a peer tool keeps privacy.
For: Anyone interested in how peer support is built.
checked 2026-08-28
SWOP NSW
swopnsw.org.au
Outreach, a closed Ugly Mugs list, a free legal service, and plain pages for clients, operators and researchers.
For: Workers in or from New South Wales, and clients who want the rules.
checked 2026-08-28
Respect Inc (Queensland): information sheets
respectqld.org.au
A page for every situation: negotiating, difficult clients, condom breakage, your period, stalking, spiking, burnout, children, pregnancy, tax. Translated into Vietnamese, Korean, Thai and Chinese.
For: Every worker. The most practical library in the region.
checked 2026-08-28
Magenta (WA): sex worker friendly service providers
magenta.org.au
A directory of accountants, doctors, counsellors and lawyers who will not flinch. New Zealand has no equivalent yet.
For: Workers in Western Australia, and a model for here.
checked 2026-08-28
Something missing, moved or wrong?
Email support@privateencounters.co.nz with the link. Suggestions from workers go to the top of the list. Nothing here is legal, medical or financial advice; each organisation speaks for itself.