Small owner-operated brothels (SOOBs) are a reality for any city in New Zealand. They are defined by the Prostitution Reform Act 2003 (PRA) as places where not more than four sex workers work and where each sex worker retains control over their own earnings (PRA, 2003). Gathering statistics on these establishments is nearly impossible due to their discreet nature. Many clients prefer the inconspicuous environment of a SOOB over the notorious, well-advertised brothels in the city centre. SOOBs have long been a controversial planning issue for the Christchurch City Council (CCC), but perhaps the period 2003-2009 has proved to be the most contentious.

This related directly to the content of the course SOCI 314 (Lincoln Univeristy), which provides a critical study of issues in the provision of professional services in environmental planning, design, social sciences, tourism, sport and recreation. As part of the assessment the articles were subject to the LPR review processes and those written by Felicity Boyd, Shaun Coffey, and Sean Garlick are included here.