Reconsidering Historic Rainbow Publications

Between the years 1963 and 1994, prior to the establishment of the Classification Office, approximately 1,200 publications were banned by the Indecent Publications Tribunal. Some publications were banned solely because they contained rainbow content.

In late 2022, the Classification Office launched a project to revisit these historic decisions, made prior to the Homosexual Law Reform Act of 1986. This project came about in response to concerns raised by local queer activist Shannon Novak on behalf of rainbow communities in Aotearoa during a 2021 select committee hearing, and a subsequent request from the then Minister of Internal Affairs, Hon. Jan Tinetti.

Undertaking this project has not been without its challenges. Banned publications are often difficult to locate; many have not been digitised, and some survive only in archives or private collections. Nevertheless, the Office made best efforts to identify and source material relevant to this review.

The project has now concluded, due to the limited availability of further physical material. However, any member of the public who owns, wishes to read, or is considering trading a publication that may have been banned due to its homosexual content, to contact our Office. We can formally reconsider such material at the discretion of the Chief Censor.

It is important to note that owning, possessing, or distributing banned publications remains illegal in New Zealand. If you are in doubt, please contact us first. The publication in question may be eligible for reconsideration, and we are here to help navigate that process.

We outline what’s considered in assessing whether to ‘call in’ a historic rainbow publication over here. If you have a publication that you would like reconsidered then you’ll first need to complete an application for Reconsideration Assessment Form.

We’re also only an email or phone call away if you have any questions: contact us at info@classificationoffice.govt.nz or phone us at +64 4 471 6770.