One of the trio alleged to be behind an underage prostitution operation is facing as many as 30 additional charges “from around the country”.

The new charges for Darby Bronson Whareaorere are connected to the Prostitution Reform Act and were revealed at his appearance, via audiovisual link, at Rotorua District Court on Wednesday.

Defence lawyer Scott Mills said he was unable to enter pleas for his client, who also faces charges of assisting a person aged 14-17 years old to provide commercial sex services and receiving payment he knew was derived from commercial sexual activity provided by an under-18 year old.

Mills told the court “every appearance there’s new charges, and that’s what’s happened here”.

He said they were “reasonably significant charges” and numbered more than 30.

Asked by Judge Greg Hollister-Jones whether the additional charges were “connected to the Prostitution Reform charges” he said yes, though some additional charges were unrelated.

Mills said he had just received “a box of disclosure” and was unable to advance his client's case until he was aware of the new charges.

“He [Whareaorere] doesn’t even know what they are,” he said.

Judge Hollister-Jones said he would schedule Whareaorere’s next appearance for December 18, and said at that appearance he wanted to see a “clear way forward”.

Clayton Fox, who is facing connected allegations with Darby Bronson Whareaorere, has also not entered pleas as additional charges are laid.

One of Whareaorere’s co-accused, Clayton Fox, was also revealed to be subject to a growing list of charges at his last appearance on November 16.

He currently faces charges including sexual connection with a 13-15 year-old, assisting a girl aged between 14-17 years old to provide sexual services and receiving payments he knew were derived from commercial sexual services supplied by an under 18-year-old.

Wikitoria Pepene is also facing charges linked to the same allegations, including being the operator of a business of prostitution who was not the holder of an operator’s certificate issued under Sec 35 of the Prostitution Reform Act 2003.

She also faces charges with Fox for possession of methamphetamine for distribution and possession of cannabis.

In October, Detective Senior Sergeant John Wilson, Bay of Plenty District Headquarters, Child Protection Team announced the arrest of Fox and Pepene, and police later told Stuff that Whareaorere had also been arrested in connection to the alleged offending.

Charging documents name two underage females, both of whom cannot be named for legal reasons.

According to Wilson, the charges relate to “an illegal commercial sex service involving underage girls and supplying them with cannabis and methamphetamine”.

-Benn Bathgate/Stuff.