A former employee of a Māori-representative organisation claims frictions emerged and she was forced to leave her job after employers discovered her OnlyFans account.
Demi Hunziker (Ngāpuhi) told the NZ Herald she joined the content-sharing site as a way to supplement her income, after being made redundant from her job as a flight attendant amid the COVID-19 pandemic last year.
OnlyFans is a subscription platform that allows content creators to be paid directly by their audience. It's become well known in recent years for being predominantly a place to view porn and other sexually explicit content.
Hunziker's work on OnlyFans reportedly allowed the 28-year-old to pay her weekly bills, alongside managing some debts and providing some financial assistance to family members.
"It's all online. I didn't have to see anyone, nobody could touch me, I could do it on my own terms," she told the Herald.
Soon after, she said she got a management job at Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust in Warkworth - a Māori community-based organisation. Hunziker said she was thrilled to be working for local iwi, as well as being able to call an end to her work on OnlyFans.
But Hunziker told the Herald tensions arose when employers found out about her work on the subscription service and asked her to leave.
"In my desperation and pure Aroha for that place, I was pretty much pleading for my job," she claimed.
"I gave them a big Māori speech about how much I loved working there but then was told that they'd prefer if I resigned."
Legal proceedings are reportedly now underway, with Hunziker filing for a personal grievance, alleging unjustified dismissal and unjustified disadvantage while at work.
A lawyer's letter provided to the NZ Herald showed Hunziker felt "shocked and distressed" after employers told her "it would be best" if she was to tender her resignation, as it "wouldn't be a good look" if she was fired outright.
According to Rainbow Rights New Zealand, information about previous sex work does not need to be disclosed when applying for a job
"This is your personal information and you do not have an obligation to disclose this if you are not comfortable doing so," the employment rights website reads.
Sex work has been decriminalised in New Zealand since 2003.