The Labour government de-criminalized prostitution in NZ a few years ago before losing out in the following election to National.

I can honestly say that nothing much has changed. The girls who were working the streets beforehand tend to be the ones working the streets today. They still have their drug addictions or baggage, call it what you will.

There are a few more brothels than their were before, but other than that, same old same old.

I suppose it has lightened the workload of the police as well!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostituti ... ew_Zealand

Scott wrote:

PaulNZ, according to the link you provided prostitution in New Zealand was already legal before 2003. The law change in 2003 simply abolished some of the restrictions on the prostitution they were officially already allowing, such as by allowing the advertising of prostitution.

This link may be easier to digest:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/artic ... d=10512446

...and here is the act itself:

http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/publ ... 97815.html

Note section 3:

Prostitution Reform Act 2003 No 28 (as at 29 November 2010), Public Act
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Contents › Part 1 Preliminary provisions
3 Purpose
The purpose of this Act is to decriminalise prostitution (while not endorsing or morally sanctioning prostitution or its use) and to create a framework that—
(a) safeguards the human rights of sex workers and protects them from exploitation:
(b) promotes the welfare and occupational health and safety of sex workers:
(c) is conducive to public health:
(d) prohibits the use in prostitution of persons under 18 years of age:
(e) implements certain other related reforms.

Hope that was a bit clearer than the wiki link.