Classification law
The Films, Videos, and Publications Classification Act 1993 (New Zealand's classification law) has been in place since 1994. It establishes how publications such as films, books and video games are classified or censored, the penalties for breaking the law, and different things such as labelling requirements and fees for classification. In this section you'll find information on New Zealand's censorship law, how it is enforced and how it compares with censorship systems in other countries.
Censorship law in New Zealand
On this page you'll find information about the criteria used to classify and censor publications in New Zealand.
Enforcing New Zealand's censorship law
While the Classification Office makes decisions under the censorship law, it does not enforce the law. Enforcement is carried out by NZ Police, Customs, and the Censorship Compliance Unit at the Department of Internal Affairs.
Censorship overseas
Censorship laws vary around the world. On this page you'll find information about who is in charge of censorship in different countries, with links to the websites of overseas censorship bodies.
Comparison of New Zealand and overseas classifications
People often ask us how New Zealand's classification of films compares to the way films are treated by other countries. In this section you'll find a table which shows the ratings different countries assigned to some recent films.
