‘Floodgate Of Porn Allowed’ (Press, 4 August 1986)
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Summary: ‘Floodgate Of Porn Allowed’ (Press, 4 August 1986)
On 4 August 1986, the Chief Film Censor of New Zealand, Arthur Everard, faced criticism from the Opposition's spokesman on internal affairs, Graeme Lee, regarding the increase in hardcore pornography available in the market. Lee claimed that the influx of pornographic videos had reached a "virtual floodgate" level, attributing this to Everard's actions in approving numerous explicit titles. To address public concerns, Everard had begun adding a warning label to R18 videos, stating, “Explicit sexual content may offend,” and at least one theatrical film had also received this warning. This label was used for videos containing long scenes of actual sexual activities, including intercourse, sodomy, masturbation, oral sex, group sex, and lesbian acts. Lee pointed out that the New Zealand Gazette noted that up to 500 copies of each title were submitted to the Censor and subsequently approved for public viewing. In a single month, 23 video titles, totalling 9,500 copies, were given the explicit content warning. Lee further criticised the Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr Tapsell, for not viewing the videos personally. He argued that Tapsell was neglecting his responsibilities by failing to address the growing presence of hardcore pornography in New Zealand. According to Lee, the Minister was effectively ignoring the issue, which allowed the country to be inundated with what he termed as "the vilest filth" from across the Western world. Lee urged Tapsell to confront the reality of the situation, advocating for him to view some of the sexually explicit content approved by film censors and take necessary action before video libraries became saturated with such material.
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