Into the River

Why it was banned

Classified as unrestricted on publication, then restricted to R14 ("parental advisory explicit content") by the New Zealand Classification Office in 2013. In 2015 the New Zealand Film and Literature Board of Review issued an Interim Restriction Order making possession and distribution a criminal offence — effectively a nationwide ban. After public and legal challenge, the classification was returned to unrestricted. The Classification Office concluded "a restriction would be inconsistent with the right to freedom of expression." The case contributed to a 2017 reform of New Zealand classification law.