The Earthquake Recovery Authority has written a letter to the Christchurch City Council asking for brothels to be excluded from parts of the city centre where it wants to locate nine anchor projects.
The council is considering introducing a bylaw to restrict brothels to business districts around the earthquake-hit city and stop them being set up in residential areas.
In its letter, the authority says the proposal does not match its vision for the central city and should be changed so that brothels are kept away from anchor projects such as a convention centre and a covered stadium.
But the Prostitutes Collective says the authority has gone beyond its core responsibilities in asking the council to ban brothels from the city centre.
Regional coordinator Anna Reed says the central city has traditionally been the home of the city's brothels and it is inappropriate for the authority to step in and declare where it would like to see them located.
Ms Reed says there is no reason to treat brothels differently to any other business, and she can only assume the authority is taking a moral stance on their existence.
In reply, the authority says it is not opposed to brothels in the centre of the city as long as they are not in some areas it has set aside.
A spokesperson, Warwick Isaacs, says the blocks of land the Government is buying are earmarked for projects.
But he says there is nothing stopping brothel owners applying to the Government to set up in these areas.
Mr Isaacs says they would be considered like any other business.
