Hon Peter Dunne
Minister of Internal Affairs

7 April 2017

Chief Censor Appointment

Internal Affairs Minister Peter Dunne today announced the appointment of David Shanks as the Chief Censor of Film and Literature for a three-year term.

“Mr Shanks is a senior public servant who has held roles as chief legal officer and a number of acting deputy chief executive positions.

“His senior management and legal experience in the public sector will be of great benefit to the Classification Office,” Mr Dunne said.

“I would also like to acknowledge the significant work of outgoing Chief Censor,
Dr Andrew Jack and thank him for his passion and commitment over the last six years.

“During his time, Dr Jack has overseen a number of complex classification decisions that have involved careful balancing of freedom of expression with avoiding potential harm, and continued to advance the public debate about censorship issues in a modern society.

“The Chief Censor is responsible for protecting New Zealanders from material likely to cause harm while balancing the important right to freedom of expression,” Mr Dunne said.

The Office of Film and Literature Classification is an independent Crown entity, established under the Films, Videos, and Publications Classification Act 1993 to examine and classify publications, including films, videos, books, magazines, sound recordings and computer files.

Ends

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