Terrorist Content

At a glance

• Some terrorist content is illegal in New Zealand. Content that promotes or encourages terrorist acts, criminal acts, extreme violence or extreme cruelty may be classified as objectionable (illegal).

• Not all content about terrorism is illegal. News reporting, education, legal discussion, fiction and other content can refer to terrorist acts or ideology without promoting or encouraging them.

• Context matters. Content is assessed as a whole, including its purpose, framing, tone, message and potential impact.

• Content can be illegal even if it does not show real-life terrorism. AI-generated, computer-generated, animated and fictional content can still be subject to New Zealand classification law.

• Terrorist content can include material that promotes, encourages, justifies or instructs terrorist activity, including content that encourages people to carry out attacks or provides instructions for causing harm.

• Terrorist content is not limited to designated terrorist entities. Content does not have to be connected to a designated terrorist entity to be illegal, and not all content produced by designated terrorist entities will be illegal.

• If you come across harmful or potentially illegal content online, you can report it. You do not need to be certain that content is illegal before reporting it.

It is a crime to commit terrorist acts in New Zealand.

It’s also against the law of New Zealand to make, possess, or share content that promotes or encourages terrorist acts, criminal acts, or extreme violence or cruelty.

Content that promotes or encourages terrorist activity causes harm to many victims, whānau and communities. The creation of this material often involves the direct abuse of victims. The sharing and viewing of this content continues that abuse and contributes to radicalisation, by promoting or supporting the behaviour.

Terrorist content is often associated with violent crimes and viral content shared online. This can include real-world footage (such as the Christchurch mosque attack livestream video) that circulates rapidly and may reach audiences without warning or context. Sharing and viewing this content is harmful because it can shock viewers or make them feel unsafe in their everyday lives. Over time, it can influence people to support terrorist causes or encourage them to carry out terrorist acts.

This page tells you what New Zealand law (the Films, Videos, and Publications Classification Act 1993) says about terrorist content and what you can do if you come across it.

This information is for general understanding and awareness. It is not legal advice.

What is terrorist content?

Terrorist acts occur all over the world, and not just in conflict zones. Examples of this content that we have classified as objectionable (illegal) include footage or images of:

  • Real-life footage of people being tortured or killed for a terrorist cause, sometimes in a war context. The violence may be filmed by a person involved with the attack.
  • Real-life terrorist acts that are livestreamed by the attacker.
  • Real-life terrorist acts that someone has edited to make it ‘entertaining’. Sometimes songs, cartoons and memes are added, or clips are repeated or looped, which glamorises the terrorist act and trivialises the suffering of the victims.
  • Content that encourages the viewer to see individuals or groups as justifiable targets for terrorist attacks and may suggest ways of hurting those people or destabilising their lives.
  • Written content like manuals, propaganda, and handbooks containing descriptions of who to hurt, why, and how. This content can persuade others to act on a terrorist message.
  • Instructional content on how to sabotage, booby trap, or destroy things like buildings, and infrastructure including communications, road and rail networks.

Illegal terrorist content often involves real-world footage, or highly instructional or persuasive content. This can include material that is intended to shock, distress, or desensitise viewers or make them feel unsafe in their everyday lives. It can also be persuasive, encouraging viewers to support terrorist ideologies, or copy terrorist acts by providing easy-to-follow instructions and justifying the activity.

What does terrorist content include?

Terrorist content can be images, videos, livestreams, text files, flyers, posters or any online or offline content. It often includes real-life infliction of serious physical harm, acts of significant cruelty or death, but it doesn’t have to. The Classification Act treats Artificial Intelligence (AI), Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI), and animated terrorist content in the same way as real-life content. Even if content is fake, it can still encourage real-life harm. You can read more about AI and the law here.

Terrorist content can be created by anyone, but it is often associated with designated terrorist entities and members of far-right groups, including lone attackers. Terrorist groups and networks like ISIS produce high-quality persuasive online terrorist content, often aimed specifically at people in Western countries. It is increasingly common for nihilistic individuals and groups to create terrorist content, primarily targeting teenage boys and young men. While most of the creators of this content are not designated terrorists, they believe that terrorism and other violent acts are necessary to hasten the downfall of Western society.

What are designated terrorist entities?

In New Zealand, a designated terrorist entity is a person or organisation that has been formally designated by the New Zealand Government as being involved in terrorism.

Designation has important legal consequences. It is an offence to knowingly provide financial or material support to a designated entity, and assets associated with designated entities can be frozen.

Terrorist content is not limited to content produced by, or connected with, designated terrorist entities, and not all content produced by designated terrorist entities will be objectionable.

For more information check out Designated terrorist entities on the New Zealand Police website. 

Is terrorist content illegal?

The Films, Videos, and Publications Classification Act 1993 says that content that promotes or encourages criminal acts or acts of terrorism, or promotes or supports acts of torture or the infliction of extreme violence or extreme cruelty, is illegal. It is a crime, and there are serious legal consequences for creating, accessing, or sharing this material.

Terrorist content that doesn’t promote or support extreme violence and extreme cruelty can still be illegal if it promotes or encourages people to carry out terrorist acts; provides justification for targeting an individual or group; tells people how to cause harm, or presents crime or extreme violence as positive or beneficial.

What does “promote or support” mean?

In the context of terrorist content, promote or support means content that encourages or presents torture, extreme violence or extreme cruelty for a terrorist cause as favourable, acceptable or harmless. Content that instructs, endorses or justifies the behaviour for ideological reasons can promote or encourage terrorist activity.

In some cases, terrorist content may be presented as fictional, humorous, or for entertainment. The classification will consider how it is framed and the overall message for the viewer.

Are all representations of terrorist content illegal? What about fiction, satire or news reporting?

The law, and the Classification Office, places a high priority on freedom of expression. Not all content that deals with terrorist activity or ideology is illegal.

Content that refers to terrorist acts or ideology in a factual, critical, or harm-focused way, such as news reporting, education, or legal discussion, does not promote or encourage it and is not illegal. While news reporting can still at times be graphic or shocking, often the reporting includes cuts, blurring or descriptions of the strongest elements.

References to terrorist content in fiction, film, or other forms of entertainment are not illegal, as long as the content does not endorse or encourage the behaviour. In film and television, terrorist content is often linked to specific genres, such as drama, action or spy thriller subgenres, where the terrorists are usually the bad guys. In some cases, an age restriction may apply because the material could be harmful for younger audiences (for example, an R16 film).

About the Classification Office’s role and how the law works

The Films, Videos, and Publications Classification Act 1993 balances freedom of expression with protecting people from harm – especially children and young people.

Every piece of content the Classification Office sees is different and, to decide whether something is illegal, it must consider each one on its own merits and carefully apply the Act and the principles of fairness and natural justice. There are also serious penalties for offences under the Act. This is why decisions about whether content is illegal are made by trained experts at the Classification Office, who, guided by the Act, follow a very transparent and fair process before making a decision.

You can read more about the classification process here.

Why or where might people come across objectionable terrorist content?

Like any content, people can come across terrorist content in a variety of ways – for example, on social media feeds, websites, messaging apps, or by being shown content in person. Content might be unwanted or show up unexpectedly, or people might seek it out intentionally.

If you are worried about someone engaging with this content, check out the Kia Mataara Ki Ngā Tohu | Know the Signs guide for identifying signs of violence extremism.

How to report harmful or illegal content

If you come across harmful, distressing, or illegal content online, it’s important to report it.

Reporting helps protect you, your whānau, and others, supports safer online spaces, and ensures the right agencies can act. You don’t need to be certain whether content is illegal; different New Zealand agencies can assess it and respond appropriately. You can report content even if it’s hosted overseas.

Find out who to report to and how to report harmful or illegal content in New Zealand.
How to Report Harmful or Illegal Online Content in New Zealand

People across Aotearoa have consistently told us they are concerned about the harms of extreme content. Young people, parents and caregivers, grandparents, aunties and uncles, educators, and community leaders are worried for themselves, for young people, and for their communities.

Addressing these harms is a shared effort, supported by clear laws, dedicated agencies, and community action. Together, we can reduce harm by not creating or sharing objectionable content, protecting wellbeing, and reporting harm when we see it.

If you are worried about someone engaging with this content, check out the Kia Mataara Ki Ngā Tohu | Know the Signs guide for identifying signs of violence extremism.

What’s next?

For parents and whānau: The Classification Office has a range of practical resources to help you support young people who may be encountering extreme content online – from conversation starters, to insights shared directly by rangatahi.

For educators and those working with young people: Our resources focus on supporting young people safely and confidently, including guidance on keeping yourselves safe in those conversations and knowing what to do if concerns arise.

For young people: Learning about this content is an important step in staying safe and understanding where the legal line sits. If you need to report something, you can find out how here. If you’d like to talk to someone, our list of support helplines is available here.