CLASSIFIED - our blog
A blog by members of our Information Unit
We provide information to other staff at the Classification Office, to the public, and to industry members - we are not involved in assigning classifications. The content of our blog posts will be wide-ranging - for example we'll be discussing censorship and freedom of speech, pornography, research, or other aspects of our work at the Classification Office. Keep up with our blog posts by following us on Facebook and Twitter.
Comment moderation
We want discussion to be as free and open as possible, but please be aware that we will not approve any comments that:
- contain personal attacks against individuals, groups or organisations
- use highly offensive language or terms of abuse that target specific groups (unless use of this language is clearly relevant to a post or discussion)
- encourage others to view objectionable content, or provide links to this content or to other graphic or explicit content
- include personal information such as home addresses or phone numbers
- include information about anyone involved in an ongoing court case relating to offences under the Films, Videos, and Publications Classification Act
- are clearly and intentionally off-topic
- contain spam, or are sales pitches, promotions or links to commercial sites
Taking control
Posted on 22 September 2017 by Paul
Restricting access to movies, games and other entertainment media is a lot more difficult than it was in the days before online streaming, and we’re looking to focus more on education and better information to help young people build resilience and the ability to critically engage with the media they choose to view.
Having said this, some kind of restrictions on content are definitely still important, and children especially need to be protected from upsetting and harmful content. So what can parents do? Is the online space really a free-for-all?
Chief Censor: Censorship – where to now?
Posted on 13 September 2017 by Chief Censor David Shanks
After 90 days in the role of Chief Censor, I have been pausing for a moment to reflect on what the role means, and where it might be headed.
I have had a few people ask me the question about relevance of censorship in a digital age. Today, many of us always have our phones with us. Phones (along with tablets, laptops, and PC’s) provide us and our children with a window into virtually any content imaginable.
What do young people think about sexual violence on screen?
Posted on 20 July 2017 by Paul
We’ve just released the final report for our research project about the impact on young people of viewing sexual violence in entertainment media. You may know all about why we undertook the project and what it’s all about by now. The point of this post is to share some personal takeaways and observations from my own experience of interviewing young people for the research project.
Continue reading What do young people think about sexual violence on screen?
What does RP mean?
Posted on 20 July 2017 by Henry (updated post)
RP labels aren't used very often, so why do we use them and what do they mean? You will sometimes see an RP13, RP16 or RP18 classification label on entertainment media like a movie or show (for example a series on Netflix or on DVD). An RP classification means that someone under the specified age must be supervised by a parent or guardian when viewing entertainment media. A guardian is considered to be a responsible adult (18 years and over), for example a family member or teacher who can provide guidance.
To The Bone
Posted on 15 July 2017 by Kim
Netflix’s To The Bone has received media attention and criticism prior to its release on July 14. The film is based on the experience of the director and follows Ellen, a 20-year- old woman with anorexia, played by Lily Collins. There have been concerns about the film glamorising eating disorders and triggering body image and eating issues in vulnerable young people.
We received inquiries from a teacher and a psychologist who were concerned after seeing the film’s trailer. The trailer shows a gaunt Ellen counting calories, skipping meals, exercising excessively and fainting from starvation, all the while pretending to have her life under control. The people who approached us were worried that eating disorders could be glamorised and could potentially trigger body image and eating issues in vulnerable viewers.
Chief Censor: Let's look at the issues
Posted on 10 July 2017 by Chief Censor David Shanks
After fewer than two months in the role as Chief Censor, I have had the privilege of launching the final report my office has produced on the impacts on young people of viewing sexual violence on screen.
I was hugely proud to be able to present this work and to talk about it on a national stage. It is important. It is relevant. And it explores issues that touch so many of us, but are often left in the too hard basket.
Modded video games
Posted on 14 June 2017 by Paul
A mod is a modification that is made to a game by changing aspects of the game’s coding. They are files that are easy to download and install. These changes can impact games in various ways: these can be minor changes, such as adding more sophisticated lighting effects into the game; major changes, such as changing the entire story of the game; or somewhere in between. We answer an email asking whether it would be illegal to allow a child to play a restricted game if they used a mod to take out all of the restricted content from it.
Yarr!! Here be strangers
Posted on 31 May 2017 by Paul
We recently got our grubby little mitts on the technical alpha of Sea of Thieves (which looks excellent), a whimsical game about sailing the high seas and looking for treasure. The game is played ideally with a group of crewmates as much of the gameplay involves mundane tasks (changing the length and angle of the different sails, raising and lowering the anchor, and holding a lantern to see at night). Players can either work co-operatively, or competitively (through combat and attacking other players’ ships). What more could a kid want?
13 Reasons Why: our reasons for the RP18 classification
Posted on 27 April 2017 by Lily
SPOILER ALERT: This blog post includes some discussion about the plot of 13 Reasons Why.
The Classification Office has created a new RP18 rating specifically for the popular Netflix series 13 Reasons Why. The classification recognises that teens are watching and will continue to watch the series, while signalling the strong content and emphasising the essential role of parents and caregivers in discussing this material with young people in their care. In this blog post a Classification Officer explains our reasons for the new classification.
Violent play - classifying violence in video games
Posted on 17 March 2017 by Hayden
Put into law in 1993, the Films, Videos, and Publications Classification Act (FVPC Act) requires the Classification Office to examine all sorts of media and classify it for New Zealand audiences. The video games that we classify almost always contain violence. So let’s look at that.
Gamers have their say at the Classification Office
Posted on 24 February 2017 by Paul
Hatred, Dead by Daylight, Postal III - titles many gamers know well. All three games have attracted a lot of attention for various reasons, but mostly due to the levels of violence in each game. So when the Chief Censor called them in for classification recently, we expected some robust debate - not just within the Classification Office itself but with the wider gaming public.
It's helpful for our censors to hear opinions from other gamers, including those most affected by the classification system - young people under age 18. For this reason, we recently invited young gamers to spend time playing and viewing the games at the Classification Office.
Safer Internet Day 2017 - be the change: unite for a better future
Posted on 07 February 2017 by Netsafe CEO Martin Cocker
Safer Internet Day is celebrated globally each year on 7 February to promote the safe and positive use of digital technology among children and young people. Safer Internet Day New Zealand is coordinated by online safety organisation Netsafe. In this blog post, Netsafe CEO Martin Cocker writes about the importance of online safety and Safer Internet Day.
Life as a censor: Reflections of a new Classification Officer
Posted on 14 December 2016 by Lily
"99% of the time I have the job that everybody wants, and then 1% of the time I have the job that nobody wants at all". What's it like to work at the Classification Office? In this post a new Classification Officer ('censor') explains how she got here, what she does and why it's important.
Young people's views about sexual violence
Posted on 08 September 2016 by Henry
Earlier this year we asked Colmar Brunton to carry out focus group research with young people to learn about their views on sexual violence in media entertainment like movies, games and television shows. Some initial findings show that young people's views on the subject are varied and complex — and they often found conversation about the topic difficult.
It's only entertainment - what's the harm?
Posted on 01 August 2016 by Deputy Chief Censor Jared Mullen
Our intuition tells us that it can't be good for kids to be exposed to excessive aggression, gore, torture and brutality. We worry that they might be shocked and disturbed by what they see. We may also fear that our children could copy the behaviours that they see on screen, or perhaps even grow into overly aggressive and uncaring people. Are we being over protective?
The Classification Office meets virtual reality: what are the ramifications of VR technology?
Posted on 19 July 2016 by Henry
The other day a group of Classification Office staff were lucky to be introduced to virtual reality (VR) courtesy of Sony Interactive Entertainment and its Playstation VR technology. We've been paying close attention to VR for a while now, knowing that inevitably we'll have to deal with VR games - but the experience of VR blew us away.
Continue reading The Classification Office meets virtual reality
"It's hard to know what you should and shouldn't watch" ...a youth perspective on entertainment media
Posted on 05 July 2016 by Sue (Te Aupouri, Te Rarawa, Whakatōhea, Ngāi Tūhoe)
We've been talking with young people around the country to find out how they're consuming entertainment media — and to get a feel for what they think of NZ's classification system and how it affects them.
Research: New Zealanders want trusted classifications in a changing media environment
Posted on 04 July 2016 by Henry
Our new Public Understanding survey looks at the changing ways New Zealanders are watching movies and shows, and playing games — it also shows a high level of support for the classification system. This post asks: what does the research say about the future of the classification system?
Continue reading Research: New Zealanders want trusted classifications
What does R13 mean?
Posted on 03 March 2016 by Henry (updated post)
Recently there have been a few films and games released with R13 classifications. This page explains what the R13 classification means.
The price of protection
Posted on 23 February 2016 by Henry
New Zealand's classification system is a public service that most New Zealanders rely on all or some of the time. Our recent research found that 81% of New Zealanders would always, or almost always, be guided by classification labels when making viewing and gaming choices for young people.
