Sex workers migrate south

By SCOTT KARA

South Auckland's sex industry is growing as sex workers and massage parlours move from traditional red-light areas of Auckland to Manukau.

The Manukau City Council and police have accepted that the sex industry is there to stay and want to put conditions in place to control it properly.

A report about the state of the city's sex industry was done after complaints from residents about prostitutes at Hunters Corner in Papatoetoe.

There were also complaints of casual prostitution involving underage teens - both male and female - at public toilets in Manurewa, Manukau City Centre and Papatoetoe.

The report, by consultant David Haigh, said the massage parlours, other commercial sex premises and sex workers were moving from central Auckland areas such as Karangahape Rd and Fort St to Manukau.

The growing numbers of prostitutes at Hunters Corner was the most visible result of this.

But South Auckland massage parlours spoken to by the Herald also said demand had increased recently.

The owner of Paradise Massage, in Jack Conway Ave, said Manukau's parlours were more discreet and not as big as those in the central city.

The owner of Exotic Massage, in Cavendish Drive, said that in the past three months business had gone up about 30 per cent.

Exotic had been in Manukau for six years. When it opened there were two parlours in the Manukau area: now there were about seven.

Lipstixs, in Great South Rd, has three branches in Fort St and one in Wellington.

The Manukau branch manager said increased demand in the area was the main reason a branch was set up in the south.

Senior Sergeant Dave Simpson said police were still having trouble at Hunters Corner with prostitutes - some as young as 14 - who were causing noise and behaving in an offensive manner.

But there was a wide acceptance that Manukau's sex industry was going to grow, he said. "If you drive the sex industry underground it's more dangerous, and those involved in it are in a very unsafe environment."

Manukau City Council's environmental management committee discussed Mr Haigh's report last night.

Councillor Jan Sinclair said the sex industry would not be "stamped out" and the council had to play a part in controlling it.

There was general agreement among councillors to petition the Government to review "contradictory legislation" to do with prostitution and brothels.

The Haigh report said it was important for legislation to recognise sex work and provide appropriate regulation of the industry.

Changes to the Proposed District Plan were also suggested to ensure sex outlets were situated a certain distance from schools and residential areas, as they were in Auckland City.