JULY NEWSLETTER

Kia ora koutou,

Here we are in early July when it seems like only yesterday it was April and we were writing to you about our our porn research. Lockdown will do that to you! But we've been busy over the past couple of months so let's bring you up to speed!

You may have seen a certain viral ad featuring 'porn stars' - we had fun contributing our expertise to the pornography part of Department of Internal Affairs' Keep It Real Online campaign, along with our friends at Netsafe and the Ministry of Education.

As part of our Challenging Media series we also produced a cartoon to help parents navigate screen time with their children and teens, our tamariki and rangatahi. It covers simple ways to support their safety - whether that's using parental controls for younger kids, or keeping open communication with your teens.

LOOTBOXES - A GUIDE FOR PARENTS AND WHĀNAU

Gaming is a big part of many young people’s lives. It can be fun, social and educational. As parents and whānau it’s important that we know what’s in the games our rangatahi are playing. Most gamers come across loot boxes during game play at some point. But what exactly are they, and why is it good to be aware of them? We teamed up with the Problem Gambling Foundation to produce this handy animated guide. If you want more info (including a podcast with experts in the field) click through to learn more.

We also have two pieces of legislation currently under review: amendments to the Films, Videos & Publications Classification Act as part of an overarching Countering Violent Extremism Bill, and the Commercial Video on Demand Bill which had its second reading last week. 

The CVE Bill was introduced to parliament May 26th, but has not yet had its first reading. You can find more information here.

The CVoD Bill aims to bring more consistency to age ratings and content information across all streaming platforms in New Zealand. We've included further reading for you below, but we'll be keeping you up to date as work continues to progress.

All the best from all of us and remember to #WatchTogether

Applications are being sought for the role of Deputy Chief Censor. This is a full-time management and governance position at the Classification Office, and plays an important role in New Zealand’s classification system. The role is based in Wellington and works closely with the Chief Censor. 
 
The appointment is made by the Governor-General on the recommendation of the Minister of Internal Affairs.
 
The required skills and attributes are:
•    specialist classification and censorship knowledge;
•    advanced reasoning and strategic thinking skills;
•    strong communication and interpersonal skills;
•    public sector management and machinery of government knowledge; and
•    the ability to maintain and promote personal resilience while managing objectionable material.
 
Full details are in the position description, available from the Department of Internal Affairs’ statutory appointments page: https://www.dia.govt.nz/Appointments-to-Statutory-Bodies. An application form is available from the same site.
 
Applicants must provide a cover letter that identifies how their skills and experience match the required skills and attributes, a current curriculum vitae, and a completed nomination form. Applications must be emailed to the Department of Internal Affairs at, appointments@dia.govt.nz by 5pm on 24 July 2020. Any questions or queries can be sent to the same address.
 
Shortlisted candidates will need to be available for interview and may be required to undergo a psychometric test and referee checks.