New Zealand is an unusual place to look at adult venues, because the legal baseline differs from most countries. The Prostitution Reform Act 2003 decriminalised prostitution, making New Zealand the first country to do so. Its stated purpose is to safeguard the human rights of sex workers, protect them from exploitation, and promote their welfare and occupational health and safety.
For visitors, the practical effect is that adult venues here are ordinary licensed businesses rather than tolerated grey-market operations. They are regulated through employment law, liquor licensing and council rules — not through vice policing.
Regulation and dancers’ working conditions
Decriminalisation did not settle how dancers are engaged and paid, and that is where most of the documented friction sits. New Zealand clubs have generally treated dancers as independent contractors rather than employees — no annual leave, no sick leave, and dancers paying their own tax.
This has been tested publicly. In January 2023, 35 dancers at a Wellington venue signed a letter objecting to the club taking 50 per cent of earnings, up from 40. The following day, 19 dancers were told to clear out their lockers. Those dancers formed the campaign group Fired Up Stilettos and took their case to Parliament. Reporting by RNZ, Stuff and the NZ Herald described contracts carrying a series of “inconvenience fees” dancers could be charged. Seven women have since pursued an application in the Employment Court for a declaration on their employment status.
The point for a visitor is not gossip — it is that the money you hand over is split under terms that are currently contested, and that dancers here have a legal route to challenge them that they do not have in most countries.
On alcohol, venues operate under the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012. Section 43 sets default national maximum trading hours for on-licences of 8am to 4am. District licensing committees can impose stricter hours, so closing times differ city to city.
Auckland
- Calendar Girls Auckland — 243 Karangahape Rd
- The Mermaid Auckland — 322 Karangahape Road
- Femme Fatale VIP — 84 Wellesley Street, CBD
- Penthouse Club Auckland — 13 Gore Street
- The White House — 371 Queen Street
- Hush Hush — 68 Hobson St
- Men Of Steel — 68 Hobson Street, male dancers
Two notes on the Auckland listings: 13 Gore Street appears twice in this directory under different names, and 68 Hobson Street houses both Hush Hush and Men Of Steel.
Wellington
- Calendar Girls Wellington — 13 Dixon Street
- Dreamgirls — 37 Dixon Street
- The Mermaid Wellington — 73 Courtenay Place
Christchurch
- Calendar Girls Christchurch — 63 Victoria Street, CBD
Queenstown, Dunedin and Mount Maunganui
- Club Eighty Eighty — 54 Shotover Street, Queenstown
- The Club — 17B Earl Street, Queenstown
- Stilettos Revue Bar — 319 Princes Street, Dunedin
- Ikandi — 313-315 Maunganui Road, Mount Maunganui
What to check before you go
- Confirm closing time with the venue. The 4am figure is a national maximum, not a guarantee. District licensing committees can impose earlier hours.
- Ask what the private room costs before you enter it. Entry, drinks and private dances are priced separately.
- Check the address against the listing. Several Auckland entries overlap, as noted above.