Christchurch City Council members have voted against allowing big brothels to be established in the port of Lyttelton.
Since 2005 there have been no controls in Christchurch on where large, commercial brothels can operate.
In June last year the council issued a draft bylaw that restricted large brothels to some commercial areas and to ban them from central Lyttelton.
On legal advice, the council held a second round of public consultation.
A hearing panel set up to consider the brothel bylaw has decided, for a second time, to recommend that a commercial brothel area in Lyttelton should not be created.
The recommendation does not affect small owner-operator brothels.
