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Censorship

Ratings

(in accordance with the New Zealand Film, Video and Publications Act 1993)

E

Exempt from classification

G

Suitable for General Audiences

PG

Parental Guidance recommended for younger viewers

M

Suitable for Mature audiences 16 years and over

R

Restricted to persons 16 years and over unless accompanied by a parent/guardian

R16

Restricted to persons 16 years and over

R18

Restricted to persons 18 years and over

New Zealand Censorship Laws

In some cases we are unable to stock the titles we’d like, because the film may not been released in New Zealand for one or more of the following reasons:

• The title is not currently available from an overseas source.
• The title has not been submitted for a mandatory New Zealand rating to the Film & Video Labelling Body.
• The title cannot be rated by the Film & Video Labelling Body.*
• The title has a restricted classification in either the UK or Australia and has not been submitted to the New Zealand Office of Film & Literature Classification (OFLC).**
• The title has been rejected by the Office of Film & Literature Classification.

*A title may not be able to be rated in New Zealand because of current anomalies in the legislation. For example, an imported DVD item may contain trailers that are of a higher rating than the feature film, or the running time of a video/DVD may be longer than the version of the film that bears an New Zealand classification.

**Submissions to the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) incur charges of approximately $1000 + GST for an average length feature film. This cost is prohibitive for many titles that do not attract a general release by an official distributor, and subsequently the title is effectively prohibited from public trade within New Zealand.

AroVideo, together with our like-minded colleagues, has made formal submissions (impassioned pleas!) to the Government on the manifold and complex issues that currently inhibit the choices of film-loving New Zealanders. The Government has promised to make changes to the current Act by the end of 2003.

In early 2004, we submitted an extensive document detailing our concerns and recommendations for urgent changes to the legislation, and appeared before a Select Committee in support of our submission. While the committee was ‘sympathetic’ to our case, our recommendations were not considered when the new regulations were passed into law in mid 2004.

In June 2009, AroVideo raises the issues publicly by initiating a campaign for censorship reform. Please visit our Campaign Forum and register your support!