THREE KEY FACTS Sex work was decriminalised in New Zealand with the Prostitution Reform Act 2003, aiming to reduce the exploitation of sex workers and improve health and safety A brothel owner must have a special licence and comply with rules, including making sure the sex workers are over 18, New Zealand residents, and use safer sex practices Madam , a new TV series premiering on Three, details the experiences of Antonia Murphy, an Auckland-based American who ran a brothel in Whangārei for three years. Her non-fiction memoir Madam will be published in October. OPINION WARNING: This story deals with sexual content and is suitable for adults only I’m Antonia, the Madam of The Bach, an ethical escort agency I ran in Whangārei from 2017-2019.
Wait, what? An ethical...
escort agency? How can sex work be ethical? Well, like this: at The Bach, we were entirely consent-based. Ladies were never told to take a booking; they were always asked. Clients were required to behave safely and respectfully or we banned them.
And at the time, we paid our escorts more than 10 ten times the minimum wage..
