New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon resigned after he was accused of secretly taking photos and videos of women and recording audio from sex workers.

Luxon's deputy chief press secretary Michael Forbes apologized for his hurting women.

A sex worker reported earlier this week that one sex worker said that Forbes' phone recorded audio while in the shower and the allegations were revealed.

It was later discovered that his phone contained more photos and videos of women, as well as recordings of his sex.

New Zealand's "Things" reports that there are images of women in gyms and supermarkets, as well as videos of four women at home, and the footage is apparently taken from the window.

Luxon said Forbes’ case was “absolute shock” and he had “zero tolerance for any behavior that made women or anyone feel unsafe.”

“I sympathize with women who made these allegations and felt unsafe due to the person’s actions,” he said Thursday.

Luxon, along with other political leaders, demonstrated openness to privacy changes to better protect the voyeurism goal.

Police said they received a complaint from a brothel in Wellington last July involving photos found on customers’ phones, but ultimately believed the case did not meet the threshold for prosecution.

According to the East-West Report, Forbes' encounter with a sex worker in Wellington took place in July 2024.

Forbes reportedly gave the sex worker his phone password after facing a secret audio recording. The woman, along with other sex workers, then found recordings of several similar meetings in the device along with photos and videos.

At the time, Forbes was the press secretary for social development minister Louise Upston. He became Luxon's acting deputy press secretary in February.

Upston and Luxon said they knew nothing about Forbes’ complaint. Forbes said in a statement that he was “in a spiral decline due to unsolvable trauma and stress.” He said he sought professional help since then, but admitted that he "had not done it was a real effort to apologize."

Luxon called for a review of the "inter-agency process" Thursday after Police Chief Richard Chambers said authorities investigated Forbes last July but did not tag it to the minister.

"We have to take this incident and understand what's going on here and what's going on, and what else we can do," Luxon said.