Suburban sex trade bylaw defuses fears

A year after Hamilton city councillors voted to outlaw sex in the suburbs, just one complaint has been received about a suburban brothel.

In June last year, Hamilton City Council passed the Prostitution Bylaw 2004, which was drafted after the Prostitution Reform Act was passed by Parliament in 2003.

The act sparked howls of outrage from residents, who claimed the city would be flooded by suburban brothels, but a council spokesman said only one complaint had been received over alleged breaches since the bylaw was passed.

"Things have been very quiet, which surprised me after all the debate over the bylaw," he said.

In March last year, anti-prostitution group Voice Waikato complained about a suburban brothel operating in the suburb of Chartwell. The group was a major backer of the bylaw.

Group spokesman Bert Jackson said the Ascot Rd business had since closed.

Two other suburban brothels, Toni's on Marama St and Chantel's on Edgecumbe St, had until October to move, he said.

"We've been keeping quiet until now, but rest assured we will be doing everything possible to ensure both brothels move on," he said.

Julie Conley, who manages Toni's, said the building it operated out of had been sold and she was looking for a new location.

Finding one had not been easy because every prospective site breached the bylaw criteria.

"Finding a new building has been a real headache. We don't want to move out to an industrial area because it's unsafe for my girls.

"On the other hand, our clients don't want to go to an address on a main street because they lose anonymity."

Last year's bylaws

* Sex workers are banned from operating from home.

* Two existing brothels in residential areas were given 12 months to move out.

* Brothels and private sex workers are restricted to working in non-residential areas and cannot operate within 100m of schools, marae, childcare centres and churches.

- NZPA