The Indecent Publications Tribunal was a government

censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments ...

organisation that operated in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

from 1964 until 1993. It was established under the

Indecent Publications Act 1963 The Indecent Publications Act was a New Zealand Act of Parliament enacted in 1963. It repealed the Indecent Publications Act 1910, Indecent Publications Amendment Act 1954, Indecent Publications Amendment Act 1958, Indecent Publications Amendm ...

and consisted of five members, with one a High Court barrister or solicitor, and four other members with two having qualifications in the field of literature or education. John Robson, a senior public servant, was instrumental in having provisions for the Tribunal to be established under the Act. Decisions made by the Tribunal are still in force unless subsequently overturned after being re-classified. The

Office of Film and Literature Classification The Office of Film and Literature Classification ( mi, Te Mana Whakaatu), branded as the Classification Office, is an independent Crown entity established under Films, Videos, and Publications Classification Act 1993 responsible for censorship ...

now serves a similar function.

Notable cases

In July 1992, the New Zealand Police Commissioner unsuccessfully attempted to prevent a concert by the American band

Body Count A body count is the total number of people killed in a particular event. In combat, a body count is often based on the number of confirmed kills, but occasionally only an estimate. Often used in reference to military combat, the term can also r ...

in Auckland, arguing that "Anyone who comes to this country preaching in obscene terms the killing of police, should not be welcome here," before taking Body Count and Warner Bros. Records to the Indecent Publications Tribunal, in an effort to get the song " Cop Killer" banned under New Zealand's

. This was the first time in twenty years that a sound recording had come before the censorship body, and the first ever case involving popular music. After reviewing the various submissions, and listening carefully to the album, the Tribunal found the song "Cop Killer" to be "not exhortatory," saw the album as displaying "an honest purpose," and found Body Count not indecent.

References

External links

Indecent Publications Tribunal listings
at

Archives New Zealand Archives New Zealand (Māori: ''Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga'') is New Zealand's national archive and the official guardian of its public archives. As the government's recordkeeping authority, it administers the Public Records Act 2005 and ...

{{dead link, date=August 2020 Censorship in New Zealand Book censorship in New Zealand 1964 establishments in New Zealand Government agencies disestablished in 1993 1993 disestablishments in New Zealand

Notable cases

See also

References

Further reading

External links