Stories of Resistance: An Exploratory Study of Intersectionality in Sex Work in Aotearoa New Zealand

Abstract

Sex work in Aotearoa New Zealand is a significant issue for social justice and public policy because, despite the country’s longstanding globally unique decriminalisation model, sex workers, particularly those who are migrant and gender-expansive, continue to face intersecting forms of stigma, discrimination, and structural exclusion. These challenges are compounded by societal attitudes, political inaction, and institutional barriers that undermine the safety and rights of sex workers. This thesis focuses on the extent to which “risk” and “safety” are intersectional in sex work in Aotearoa New Zealand, and how migrant and gender-expansive sex workers actively resist discrimination. The thesis draws on findings from a peer/ally-designed, qualitative and arts-based study of sex workers in Aotearoa New Zealand, which used reflective thematic analysis of in-depth, semi- structured interviews, and a group “craft session”. This approach enabled a nuanced understanding of how individual, community, and structural factors shape the lived experience of people who sell sex and their strategies for existence and resistance. The analysis shows that sex workers actively manage risk and safety, and assert agency through personal strategies, collective support networks, and spatial practices, while simultaneously confronting systemic barriers rooted in misogyny, racism, and xenophobia. These experiences are captured through six themes, organised from micro to macro levels, under the overarching narrative of the Right to Exist. The thesis argues that while decriminalisation provides a legal framework for safety, it remains insufficient without broader cultural and institutional change, particularly given that the current legal framework in Aotearoa New Zealand excludes non-resident migrants from its protections. This thesis concludes by suggesting that the decriminalisation law be extended to include all sex workers, removing the Section 19 amendment, and that recognising and supporting the diverse strategies of resistance employed by sex workers, especially those at the margins, is essential for advancing equity, dignity, and justice in sex work policy and praxis.