FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER

Kia ora koutou

The events of the past week just down the street from our Office are a reminder that misinformation is a virus that Aotearoa New Zealand is not immune to. Our research into misinformation, released in June last year, continues to inform our work. If you're navigating difficult topics with loved ones who might be down a rabbit hole then these top tips from David Farrier's interview with Paul Wilson are still as relevant as when first published in 2020.

A new year brings about fresh change in the form of our new website refresh. (Please let us know if you notice any broken links). Our Advisor Kate's educational presentation on our research Growing Up with Porn has been recorded and is now freely available online. And we'd like to draw your attention to a Massey University-hosted forum planned for July which aims to start a national conversation about media literacy in Aotearoa.

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 here. Be sure to follow our socials too.

#WatchTogether #Mātakitahi #TalkTogether #Kōrerotahi

Making our info and resources easier to find 

A new year and a new website for the Office and oh boy we're proud to show you the refreshed design. We've worked closely with local web company Octave to make sure our resources and information are easy to find, and that navigation makes sense. 

We've made it much simpler to use. Finding the answers to regular classification questions, including how to complain if you think a rating doesn't fit the content, are up front and centre. 

If you're a regular user of our website you may find that some saved links are now not working; we would love to know of any broken links so we can get this fixed immediately. Please email us at info@classificationoffice.govt.nz with the link information.

Available now: our 2020/2021 Annual report

Ka mua, ka muri – looking back in order to move forward – is what our Te Mana Whakaatu Classification Office Annual Report to 30 June 2021 gives us a chance to do.

Our 2020/2021 Annual Report has been tabled at Parliament and is now available to read or download from our site. 

Our popular Growing Up with Porn presentation is now freely available to view online

Talking about sex can feel awkward for many and porn even more so. Here at Te Mana Whakaatu Classification Office porn is part of our work and we’ve done research into attitudes about porn. We have put together a presentation to help parents and whānau titled Growing Up With Porn which is based on insights from our research with rangatahi in Aotearoa about pornography.

This talk aims to empower whānau who may feel anxious or stuck and not know where to begin in approaching the topic of pornography with their children. It is packed with tips and tools and practical advice on how to have these conversations with young people in a way the research tells us will work for them.

If you think this presentation could work in your organisation please get in touch as we’re happy to accommodate specific in-person presentation opportunities.

View the presentation on YouTube now

White supremacist ‘manifesto’ banned

In December the Chief Censor David Shanks banned the ‘manifesto’ of a convicted murderer and white supremacist aimed at inspiring others to copy him.

The Chief Censor used his “call in” power to proactively conduct the classification and the Office conducted a targeted consultation including various faith communities, youth, academics, tech industry experts and a survivor of the Oslo terror attacks.

“It was important for us to seek a range of views from across the community on the issues and potential harm this ‘manifesto’ presents. Everyone we spoke to had concerns about this document, but some thought that the best response to it might be to keep it available so that it could be debated. Others considered that it presented the same risks and harms as other terrorist promotional documents that had been banned in New Zealand, and should be treated the same way.

“These discussions greatly assisted our classification. In analysing this document, we found that it provided followers with a rationale for murdering innocents, while also providing extensive detail on tactics and methods to carry out an attack. The role this particular document played in the horrific March 15 attacks in Aotearoa cannot be ignored. Ultimately we found that this document presented similar risks and harms to the public as other terrorist promotional documents we have banned under New Zealand law." — Chief Censor David Shanks

Read the full story on our website 

Teenage Sex Goals - how the influence of teen movies and shows is changing

From a first kiss and the ‘first time’, to a sexual act with a pie – and even depictions of sexual assault – films and series can influence our views on sex. And because of famous series and films like the American Pie franchise, sex analogies, clichés and tropes kinda became a thing.

Caitlin takes a look at the influence of sex in teenage-theme movies 

Make sure you read the label - keeping tamariki safe this summer

"When a “long, hot summer” turns into a muggy, wet summer, you’ll likely need a plan B, and that’s where we at Te Mana Whakaatu Classification Office can help! It’s only been a few months since I took up the role as Deputy Chief Censor, but even that short time has made me think quite differently about those games and films this summer."

Read Rupert's guide to navigating summer viewing, especially when 'not all M ratings are the same'

Playing Games: part two in our series

In part two of our series about video game classification, Rebecca continues her definitely unedited* chat with one of our Classification Advisors about the practical nature of classifying and playing games for your job at Te Mana Whakaatu Classification Office.

*we definitely edited some of the chat for brevity

Read more about game play as a Games Classification Advisor

SCREAM

R16: graphic violence and offensive language

What's it about? Scream is the fifth instalment in the Scream slasher film franchise. Set 25 years after the original series of murders in Woodsboro, a new killer dressed in the distinctive Ghostface outfit begins targeting a new group of teenagers – Sam, Tara, Chad, Mindy, Richie, Liv, Wes, and Amber. With the help of Sidney Prescott, Gale Weathers, and Dewey Riley, they begin to hunt the killer while their family secrets are slowly revealed.

What to expect: Scream is a continuation of a cult classic that plays homage to classic horror films and teen subculture. This instalment is likely to appeal to fans of the franchise and fans of the horror genre. As with previous Scream films, the characters, the killings, and dialogue are designed to poke fun at slasher horror genre conventions in an over-the-top, self-referential way. The film focuses on the fear of the victims heightening the impact of bloody violence. This is likely to shock and disturb younger audiences and has the potential to inure them towards violence. Given the risk of harm to younger audiences, Scream is restricted to those aged 16 years and over.

SAVE THE DATE Friday 15 July 2022

National Media Literacy Forum: Starting conversations about critical media literacies in Aotearoa New Zealand

1^st National Media Literacies Forum hosted by Massey Wellington will bring together stakeholders from Government, broadcasting, media industries, NGOs, and education to discuss and debate the current state of critical media literacy in Aotearoa.

The forum aims to bring various perspectives and practices from around Aotearoa into dialogue, including by foregrounding Māori and bicultural approaches.

Proposed outcomes include:

• an interdisciplinary and collaborative network of researchers and practitioners in Aotearoa
• a hub for putting research into dialogue with external stakeholders and international research groups in order to build a strong foundation for future collaboration and co-development of research questions
• centring Māori approaches to media literacy
• a biennial national forum
• a national media literacy strategy, drawing on the perspectives of a wide range of stakeholders

The forum is planned for Friday July 15th 2022 and you can register your interest here before 28 February.

Organising committee: Claire Henry (Massey University), Catherine Fowler (Otago University), Kevin Veale (Massey University), Kyra Clarke (Massey University), Michael Daubs (Victoria University of Wellington)

For further information please email nationalmedialiteracyforum@gmail.com

Because our work involves 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.

What has growing up watching porn done to my brain - and my sex life? (The Guardian)

Reselling gig work is TikTok's newest side hustle (The Verge)

World-leading measure to protect children from accessing pornography online (UK Government)

Oscars 2022: The Best Picture nominees and where to watch them right now (Stuff.co.nz)