Sunday, May 10, 2009

Reasons to Love New Zealand Part IV: Pay-As-You-Go Love

In this, the fourth part of our series on Reasons to Love New Zealand, it is more free market stuff at work. Since the Prostitution Reform Act of 2003, pay-as-you-go love is legal in New Zealand.

Legalizing pay-as-you-go love is right in line with the mantra that New Zealand is the new home of capitalism. New Zealand also has common sense limitations on immigration -- if you are morbidly obese they don't want you. And in the most recent in the series, we wrote how New Zealand sets the standard for Tort Reform.

As a conservative with libertarian leanings, I believe that one of governments limited purposes is to uphold contracts freely made between individuals or corporate entities. New Zealand says consensual or consentual agreement you make, well that contract can be enforced. Given that 50% of marriages in the US end in divorce, it seems that shorter term cohabitation contracts are the trend now. What is more shorter term than pay-as-you-go love?

Moreover, the law is held up as the model for others to follow. Indeed, Australia started to adopt a version of it in 2008. New Zealand even has a Prostitutes Collective, which functions as a kind of 'union' and lobbying group for both hetero-and homo-sexual prostitutes.

The biggest criticism against New Zealand's law seems to be about the limitation on immigrants working the prostitution industry. However, this limitation appears aimed at minimizing one of the chief contemporary harms of prostitution: the trafficking of women into positions of servitude.

So, for common-sense enforcement of simple contracts between consenting adults, another reason added to our list of Reasons to Love New Zealand.

7 comments:

  said...

From memory, the Prostitution Reform Act passed by a slim margin, subjected to a conscience vote. A Muslim Labour MP was heavily criticized for voting in its favour at the time, from his own community.
   The original impetus (again this is memory, and not something I have gone back and checked) was not so much monetarism or libertarianism, but that prostitutes who were victims of assaults were not seen to by police (as the prostitute’s own actions were illegal). It was argued in Parliament by an MP who had been a prostitute that legalization was an option if their rights were to be defended.
   I believe most New Zealanders would agree that a prostitute should have equal access to justice and I suspect the vote may have come down to that. The Act still has its opponents who object on moral grounds; and others still are rather upset that legal brothels have opened up in their neighbourhoods.

bobn said...

New Zealand even has a Prostitutes CollectiveWe have Congress.

You're right, New Zealand is better.

Trialdog said...

I don't want to stray too far off topic, but another reason NZ is better appears to be the hunting.
A good friend and extremely avid hunter just returned from a NZ hunting trip and said it was the best hunting he's ever had. That is saying a lot. This guy has hunted all of North America and bagged just about every type of animal. I don't think he's taken Dall Sheep yet, but virtually everything else. He tells me the the topography was brutal and the game fantastic. Sounds great to me.

  said...

Y’all need to come over. I know some hunters who can take you to some good spots.

OBloodyHell said...

> Y’all need to come over. I know some hunters who can take you to some good spots.

Uh Oh. We aren't talking The Most Dangerous Game, are we? :oP

Yeaaaahhh, com'an over.... We'll... hunt. Yeah, yeah, that's the ticket...8oD

.

Bob Cosmos said...

I'm not sure what kind of 'game' there is in NZ but I truly would like to visit this year. I have developed a keen appreciation through these many reasons to love NZ and there are more coming. I look forward to continuing the dialogue.

Bobn -- "New Zealand even has a Prostitutes CollectiveWe have Congress."Truly funny!

  said...

OBH: hey, now, there’s a thought. I understand Dick Cheney was playing that with his trial lawyer friend.
   To be fair, I was thinking pigs and deer.