Summarised by Centrist
Michael Forbes was Christopher Luxon’s acting deputy chief press secretary. Before that, he worked for Social Development Minister Louise Upston, a former Minister for Women. Now he’s out of a job – accused of secretly recording sex workers, collecting photos of women at the gym, and filming others getting changed through windows.
The scandal broke when a sex worker spoke publicly to Stuff about realising in July 2024 that Forbes had activated a voice recorder during a paid session. Forbes left behind two phones. Her colleagues went through the phones and found “half a dozen audio recordings” of other sex workers, private photos, and videos – including one of a woman sleeping.
Also on the device: the Prime Minister’s phone number.
Two more sex workers have since come forward. They confirmed the recordings and said they’d expected police action after handing over Forbes’ phones. “There’s so much incriminating stuff,” said one, who was recorded without consent. Instead, police said no charges would be laid.
Forbes admitted to the recordings and voyeuristic videos, but the legal threshold for a crime wasn’t met. Police say he deleted the files in their presence and was “encouraged to seek help.”
One of the phones was a government-issued device.
In response to media inquiries, Forbes resigned. He issued a written apology, citing trauma and stress, saying he began therapy a year ago but failed to apologise to the women harmed.
Luxon, who said he was “absolutely shocked,” has ordered a review of vetting processes. Forbes’ promotion into the PM’s office was a temporary internal assignment that bypassed further checks.
Sex workers say the law needs to change. “It should be illegal to secretly record anyone during intimate encounters – paid or not,” said one of the women who had come forward.
