Move to return red light district to Wellington

Wellington sex industry leader Michael Chow wants to re-establish Vivian Street as the city's premier adult entertainment strip.

Vivian St was the hub of the city's red light district from the sixties to the early nineties and boasted Wellington's premier strip joints, peep shows and illegal brothels.

The street was also the home of the famous coffee bar operated by the flamboyant transsexual Carmen. Following Carmen's decision to leave and live in Australia, along with redevelopment, the street's fortunes began to wane.

With the passing of the Prostitution Law Reform Bill, Mr Chow believed the time was ripe to once again re-establish Vivian Streets the city's prominent red light district.

He said he is about to open the street's first-ever legally operated brothel, Il Bordello and has plans for further outlets. Mr Chow describes his latest venture as an "up-market gentleman's club."

He said the Act legalising prostitution has opened the way for the development of "high class" operations like Il Bordello. Up until now the sex industry has operated in an uncertain dodgy environment with no quality of service standards.

"Il Bordello is a state of the art operation, professionally run and I believe, will see the rebirth of Vivian St as the leading centre in the provision of quality sex industry operations in Wellington," Mr Chow said.

He rejected claims that he was also thinking of moving the sex industry into the suburbs. "The central city is the only place for the sex industry, not the suburbs," Mr Chow said.