“n.z. Society Becoming Obsessed With Sex” (Press, 28 August 1971)

In a meeting held on 28 August 1971 in Christchurch, antipornography campaigner Miss Patricia Bartlett spoke to an audience of around 50, expressing her concerns about what she termed New Zealand’s growing obsession with sex. She highlighted recent developments, such as the installation of contraceptive vending machines at the University of Canterbury, as indicative of society's troubling focus on sexual matters. Miss Bartlett decried the media's portrayal of women as mere sex objects, claiming that the competitive and sexually explicit nature of advertising in reputable newspapers contributed to this dehumanisation. She particularly took aim at the publishing company Wilson and Horton, calling their magazine “Thursday” an example of declining standards, as it featured a controversial six-part article series titled “Love in plain language.” Additionally, she mentioned the magazine “Playdate” for its occasional inclusion of photographs featuring nude women. She vehemently opposed pornography, arguing that it undermined sexual self-restraint and ultimately led to moral decay within society. Miss Bartlett framed the issue as one of democratic principles, suggesting that allowing the majority to exploit the minority for commercial gain was inherently wrong. She contended that pornography prioritised profit over human dignity, inflating lust while diminishing the capacity for love, and she claimed a connection between pornography consumption and criminal behaviour. During her speech, Miss Bartlett articulated a belief in the necessity of censorship, separating moral judgement from artistic considerations. She expressed concern regarding the influence of sexual explicitness on behaviour, positing that many sex offenders possessed extensive collections of pornographic material. Highlighting her activism, she stated that her petition to Parliament had garnered 23,500 signatures, advocating for amendments to the Indecent Publications Act. Her proposed changes included banning the display of restricted publications, ensuring that stocks of books under review were frozen during tribunal consideration, and transferring the responsibility of presenting required copies to the importer rather than the complainant. Miss Bartlett also drew attention to the prevalence of "restricted" labels on books available in bookstores, suggesting these were misleading and served only as marketing tools. She argued that the current censorship tribunal was overwhelmed and ineffective, calling it a mere façade to placate public concerns. She insisted that New Zealand required two full-time tribunals capable of managing the substantial number of books submitted for review annually to ensure proper oversight and regulation of published materials.

The text on this page is created, in the most part, using Generative AI and so may contain errors or omissions. It is supplied to you without guarantee or warranty of correctness. If you find an error or would like to make a content suggestion please get in contact

The text on this page is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 New Zealand