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New Zealand law explained for everyone

Prostitution Reform Act 2003

Commercial sexual services - Protections for sex workers

16: Inducing or compelling persons to provide commercial sexual services or earnings from prostitution

You could also call this:

"It's against the law to force or trick someone into doing commercial sexual work or giving you their money."

You cannot force someone to provide commercial sexual services or give you money they earned from prostitution. If you try to make someone do this by threatening or promising them something, you are breaking the law. This can include using your power or position to hurt someone, or threatening to tell secrets about them.

You also cannot threaten to commit a crime, accuse someone of a crime, or say something that could damage their reputation. You cannot use drugs to control someone either, such as by giving them or withholding drugs as defined in the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975. If you break this law, you can be punished with up to 14 years in prison.

You will be in trouble if you do any of these things on purpose to make someone provide commercial sexual services or give you their earnings. The law is here to protect people from being forced or tricked into doing something they do not want to do. You need to respect other people's choices and decisions.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM197866.

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"Rules for getting permission to open a prostitution business in your area"

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17: Refusal to provide commercial sexual services, or

"Saying no to providing sexual services is always your right, even if you agreed to do it."

Part 2Commercial sexual services
Protections for sex workers

16Inducing or compelling persons to provide commercial sexual services or earnings from prostitution

  1. No person may do anything described in subsection (2) with the intent of inducing or compelling another person (person A) to—

  2. provide, or to continue to provide, commercial sexual services to any person; or
    1. provide, or to continue to provide, to any person any payment or other reward derived from commercial sexual services provided by person A.

      1. The acts referred to in subsection (1) are any explicit or implied threat or promise that any person (person B) will—

      2. improperly use, to the detriment of any person, any power or authority arising out of—
        1. any occupational or vocational position held by person B; or
          1. any relationship existing between person B and person A:
          2. commit an offence that is punishable by imprisonment:
            1. make an accusation or disclosure (whether true or false)—
              1. of any offence committed by any person; or
                1. of any other misconduct that is likely to damage seriously the reputation of any person; or
                  1. that any person is unlawfully in New Zealand:
                  2. supply, or withhold supply of, any controlled drug within the meaning of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975.

                    1. Every person who contravenes subsection (1) commits an offence and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 14 years.

                    Notes
                    • Section 16(3): amended, on , by section 413 of the Criminal Procedure Act 2011 (2011 No 81).