JULY NEWSLETTER 

Kia ora koutou

The variety and breadth of work that we do across youth engagement, public education, and media literacy is so perfectly encapsulated in our July newsletter. 

From an upcoming collaboration with Youthline, to supporting the recent Youth Parliament Working Group on Online Harm, and our featured breakdowns about new releases such as Smurfs and Materialists: we hope you find something useful in the articles below. 

Our newsletters generally talk about topics like sex, drugs, and the media content landscape. Our aim is to have difficult conversations and shine a light on ways to reduce harm for New Zealanders. If you know someone who should receive these updates, please share our newsletter or encourage them to subscribe. Be sure to follow our socials and LinkedIn too.

Aroha atu, aroha mai, tātou i a tātou
Let’s look out for each other

— Chief Censor Caroline Flora

#Mātakitahi #WatchTogether #Kōrerotahi #TalkTogether 

Image: still from Materialists.

Youthline Wellington + Te Mana Whakaatu: Amplifying Youth Voice

At the end of this month we're collaborating with Youthline to offer an educational workshop on the power of listening to youth voices in responding to online harms.

Kate Whitaker from the Office is a passionate educator with nearly 20 years teaching and facilitation experience across New Zealand. In this workshop she'll be drawing on our research across pornography, body image, and our consultations with youth, to offer insights and practical strategies to engage and support young people dealing with challenging content. 

Thursday 24 July 6pm to 8pm and registration is free. This is an in-person event for Wellington. Secure your spot by registering at Eventbrite.

Youth Parliament 2025 - Online Harm working group

"Give us a voice, and we will speak"

In early July the Classification Office supported the annual two day Youth Parliament event, where 143 young people from across Aotearoa come to Wellington to experience the political process. These Youth Members of Parliament (MPs) or Youth Press Gallery members learn about how government works and represent their communities. 

Two of our staff were on hand to provide expertise on the topic of Online Harm for one of the Working Groups which operated like select committees. In the summary report provided by the Youth Parliament Online Safety Group after the event they captured what we hear in our consultations and research:

"Rangatahi in Aotearoa are affected by policies and decisions on online safety more than
any other age group. Yet they are too often overlooked in the decision-making process.
Our Parliamentary Working Group challenges the convention that other people should
make decisions for us, without our input."  

image to be provided

Netsafety Week Programme is Live

'Power in Partnerships' is the theme of Netsafety Week 2025 which runs from 28 July to 1 August. We've checked out the programme and have marked the calendar for all of the webinar series: topics range from AI to gaming, rangatahi perspectives on staying safe online, and Pacific online safety initatives. 

Sessions are free and you can find all the details at netsafe.org.nz/netsafety-week-2025

More than a rating: Why young people want more information before hitting play — Guest Blog

During Media Literacy Week we support media studies students to write guest blogs about their personal experience of media and staying safe when using media. 

Amelia from Otago Girls' High School wrote a guest blog for the Office all about why young people want more information before hitting play – and how short, spoiler-free content breakdowns can make all the difference.

Media Literacy Week is run during Term 2 at schools and kura around the motu each year. It's is all about giving rangatahi the tools to think critically, stay safe, and navigate media with confidence. Check out Amelia's blog on our site. 

Why did 28 Years Later get this classification?

R16: Bloody violence, horror, offensive language, nudity and content that may disturb

Almost three decades since the rage virus spread and plagued the world, a group of survivors of the rage virus maintain their village on an isolated island. When two people leave the island on a mission into the mainland, they discover a world of secrets, wonders, and horrors brought about by the infection.. 

28 Years Later was classified by the Office with members of the Youth Advisory Panel consulting, and received an R16 with content warnings for bloody violence, horror, offensive language, nudity and content that may disturb. Read our breakdown of this classification.

Why did Materialists get this rating?

M: Offensive language and sexual references

A young, ambitious New York City matchmaker finds herself torn between the perfect match and her imperfect ex. 

Materialists was cross-rated by the Film and Labelling Body and received an M with content warnings for offensive language and sexual references. Read our breakdown of this rating.

Why did Smurfs get this rating?

G: Suitable for general audiences

When evil wizards Razamel and Gargamel capture Papa Smurf, Smurfette and the gang head into the real world on a daring rescue mission.

Smurfs was cross-rated by Film and Video Labelling Body and received a G, suitable for general audiences. Read our breakdown of this rating.

Because our work requires a broad knowledge of the vast online landscape, we consume a lot of media in the office. Here are just a few of the things we’ve found relevant and informative over the past month. Take a break with these media lunch items:

Ten must-see films at the 2025 NZ International Film Festival (The Spinoff)

Study links online misogyny to lower earnings for women (The Irish Times)

Small screen, big investment: TV episodes have become too long (The Guardian)