Twenty-eight further alleged breaches of the Companies Act 1993 by Porn Company Director Steve Crow

Media Release 22 July 2009

The Society has filed a further 28 complaints against Company Director Stephen Peter Crow with the Legal Team of the Companies Office and the Enforcement Unit. It alleges he has committed 28 breaches of the Companies Act 1993 as a director of CVC Group Ltd and sole director of Vixen Publications Ltd in his use on official company documents of the company name “Eden Digital Ltd” (Co No.2122974 – formerly Vixen TV Ltd,) which was incorporated on 23 April 2008 and first registered as “Eden Digital Ltd” following a name change on 26 March 2009. Read more

Announcing Society’s 2009 Members’ AGM

The Society’s 2009 (Members Only) AGM will be held on Monday night from 6.45 pm to 7.20 pm 8th June 2009 at Connolly Hall, Guilford Tce, Thorndon. The Public Address commencing at 7.30 pm, following the AGM, will be given by John Terris, former Mayor of Lower Hutt, former Labour Party MP for Western Hutt, Former Acting Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and President of Media Matters. All members of the public are warmly invited to attend this lecture, the discussion that follows and the supper. The Lecture Topic is: “New Zealand’d Media Landscape – It’s like the Wild and Woolly West. (Our value-averse little country is fast becoming the Sleaze Capital of the Universe).” Read more

Society Granted Leave to have classification of Grand Theft Auto IV (unedited US version) reviewed

Press Release 21 July 2008

The Society was today granted leave by the Secretary of Internal Affairs, Mr Brendan Boyle, to apply to the Film and Literature Board of Review to review the classification of the computer game Grand Theft Auto IV (unedited US version). The game was classified R18 by the Chief Censor’s Office. Read more

Film “End of the Spear” R16 rating downgraded to R13 following Society’s successful appeal

Press Release 4 July 2008

The film “End of the Spear” has had its classification downgraded from R16 to R13 following a successful appeal by the Society against the classification decision issued by the Chief Censor’s Office. The Society contended in its written and oral submisssion to the Board that the nature of the depiction of violence in the film – medium level violence – could not possibly justify an R16 classification. The nine member Film and Literature Board of Review agreed and in a unanimous decision, issued to the Society on Wednesday this week, took the view that 13, 14 and 15 year old children would not be harmed by exposure to the violence which formed only a small part of a compelling Christian message of forgiveness and redemption that is told based on the “true story” of the missionary outreach in the 1950s, to the violent South American Waodani Indian tribe. A revised censor’s note from the Board, alerts viewers to the medium level violence involving tribal warfare that some might find “disturbing”.

This is the second successful appeal by the Society in recent years involving a major Christian film that has led to its classification rating – issued by the Chief Censor’s Office – being downgraded by the Board. The Society made both oral and written submissions to the Board to overturn the R16 classification of Mel Gibson’s blockbuster film “The Passion”, and this led it to being reclassified R15. The applicant in this case was the film’s distributor and the Society opted to take a role as an interested party.

The Society has as one of its six objectives: the promotion of freedom of expression, within the boundaries of good law that safeguards the public good from injury.

Application for Interim Restriction Order Against The Peaceful Pill Handbook by ‘Dr Death’ [Nitschke]

On 5 June 2008 the Society made an application to the President of the Film and Literature Board of Review, Ms Claudia Elliott, for an Interim Restriction Order under s. 49 of the Films, Videos, and Publications Classification Act 1993 (“the Act”), with respect to The Peaceful Pill Handbook (New International Revised Edition), coauthored by Dr Philip Nitschke. See letter of application below…

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Application for Leave re Grand Theft Auto IV (unedited version)

The Society has sought leave under s. 47(2)(e) of the Films, Videos, and Publications Classification Act 1993 (“the Act”), to apply to the Film and Literature Board of Review (“the Board”) for a review of the classification of the highly controversial console game Grand Theft Auto IV (unedited US version) [also known as or GTA 4]. As noted in our application for leave dated 27 May 2008, the unedited game was classified R18 by the Office of Film and Literature Classification (“the OFLC”) on the 21^st May 2008.

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Review sought by Society over release of pro-euthanasia book

A review is being sought over the controversial release of a pro-euthanasia book by Australian Philip Nitschke.

The Society for Promotion of Community Standards [SPCS] has written to the Film and Literature Board of Review [see letter below] seeking a review of the decision [web-link below] to approve the book for R18 release. Read more