A decision on the path forward for Rotorua's sex work bylaw will be made this week, along with the first steps to approve $500,000 for further infrastructure at part of the Whakarewarewa Forest development, Te Pūtake o Tawa.
On Thursday, Rotorua Lakes Council's Strategy, Policy and Finance Committee will decidewhich of four options on its sex workers bylaw it will recommend to the full council for adoption, including scrapping the policy altogether.
In a report for the meeting written by council strategy adviser Leigh Richards, a "stepped process" was put forward for the committee to make the decision.
It follows public consultation on Rotorua's Prostitution Bylaw, which closed in August and showed division in the community, with some saying its existence was discriminatory, while others said the council should "prohibit prostitution everywhere in Rotorua".
Sex work was decriminalised in New Zealand in 2003 through the passing of the Prostitution Law Reform Act.
The council's "stepped approach" would mean Thursday's committee will have to answer a series of questions before settling on its recommendation to the full council.
Richards' report stated the first question to consider would be whether there was a "possible negative effect" arising from the location of brothels - including small owner-operated brothels - and or the signage related to all brothels.
If the answer was no, that would result in the revocation of the current bylaw or allowing it to lapse.
If yes, the next question for the committee to answer would be if a bylaw was "the most appropriate way of addressing a perceived problem", taking into account statute and case law and the submissions received during the consultation period.
If the answer to that question was no, the bylaw would be revoked or allowed to lapse, and other tools would be used to address perceived problems, such as the Advertising Standards Authority code of practice, the district plan, community group liaison, increased lighting and CCTV, according to the report.
If the answer was yes, the committee had to decide if changes needed to be made to a proposed Rotorua Sex Workers Bylaw.
Richards' report stated that council officers had confirmed the current bylaw played an "effective role in enabling the management of concerns and preventing queries from escalating to formal complaints".
There had been one formal complaint about the negative effects of sex work since 2017, the report stated.
Whatever the committee landed on in this process would yet have to be approved at the final council meeting for the year, set for November 26.
Also up for discussion on Thursday was whether the committee would recommend to the council to fund $500,000 from Annual Plan-allocated economic recovery funds for infrastructure at Te Pūtake o Tawa - Forest Hub 2 on Tarawera Rd.
Rotorua Mayor Steve Chadwick at the official opening of Te Pūtake o Tawa last month. Photo / File
The proposed funds would go towards a standalone deck and a shelter area, a new 4.8km trail for the round-the-forest loop and trails at Te Pūtake o Tawa to "support commercial operations ready for the summer season", according to a report prepared for the committee by council officers.
Funds for the deck and shelter area would be alongside investment from commercial operators, the report said.
The committee will also consider what recommendation to make to the council regarding a proposal to revoke the reserve classification of Pūruru Reserve North and vest the land as a Māori reservation in trustees representing the people of Taharangi Marae.
The committee will also hear an update on the status of the Tarawera wastewater reticulation scheme, with council officers seeking the committee's approval of a recommendation to the council for the proposed option of wastewater reticulation.
That proposed option would see benefitted ratepayers paying a lump sum for the actual net capital costs of the scheme immediately upon the scheme's completion and commissioning, and the installation of low-pressure grinder pumps on each property and a mains pipeline connecting Tarawera to the Ōkāreka wastewater pump station and on to the Rotorua treatment plant.
* The Strategy, Policy and Finance Committee meeting will be held in the council chamber at 9.30am on Thursday and is open to the public.
