Gatekeeping Decriminalization of Prostitution: The Ubiquitous Influence of the New Zealand Prostitutes' Collective

Abstract

This article explores the activities of The New Zealand Prostitutes' Collective (NZPC) in promoting decriminalization of prostitution and its role in gatekeeping this legislation. The NZPC has loomed large in the government’s evaluations of the decriminalization legislation known as the Prostitution Reform Act (PRA). It has collected information, partnered on the research team appointed by the Ministry of Justice to conduct the research, and ultimately secured seats as evaluators on the Prostitution Law Review Committee (PLRC) charged with assessing the research and making recommendations. Much of its outsized influence on the research and conclusions of this report is demonstrated in the report itself. Perusing the NZPC website offers a view into how entrenched prostitution has become simply another business in New Zealand. The NZPC has also employed tactics of bullying, smearing, and no platforming of feminist critics and survivors who disagree with the Collective’s valorization of “sex work.” These ploys have not stopped a burgeoning global movement of survivors of prostitution and their advocates from speaking out. In 2008, the Review Committee called for a full assessment of the PRA in 2018. It is important that the Committee consider a list of recommendations outlined in this article.