Libraries' submissions help to lift Into the River restrictions

Auckland Libraries has welcomed The Film and Literature Classification Board of Review's decision to remove any age restrictions on Ted Dawe’s young adult novel Into the river.

An Interim Restriction Order, making it illegal to sell or distribute the novel in New Zealand, was placed on the book in September, after a complaint from the organisation Family First New Zealand. Prior to this, the award winning novel had been rated R14, also in response to a complaint from Family First.

General Manager, Libraries and Information Allison Dobbie submitted on behalf of Auckland Libraries to the Classification Board of Review in support of the book, on the basis that the work should be unrestricted. A supplementary submission, in response to comments made by Family First to Libraries' original submission, was also provided.

You can read the first full Auckland Libraries submission here, and the supplementary response here.

Auckland Libraries’ Manager, Regional Collections, Louise LaHatte said Libraries were pleased with the decision.

"We welcome the board’s decision to lift the restriction on Ted Dawe’s Into the river. We immediately began making copies available across our region’s network of libraries. We have a long list of requests, and customers who have been waiting will start to get notices advising they can pick it up from their local library.”

At the time of publication, there were 110 holds on Into the river.

Into the River: in conversation with Ted Dawe

"Writers hold a mirror up to the world, and sometimes the world doesn't like what it sees. This is true in New Zealand. If 'Into The River' has made aspects of our society look ugly, then hiding the mirror will not make it beautiful again."  - Ted Dawe, September 2015

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We were delighted to have award winning New Zealand author Ted Dawe share his thoughts on the controversy surrounding his young adult novel, "Into the River", at Central Library last week.

If you missed Ted in conversation with Auckland Libraries' Regional Collections Manager, Louise LaHatte, you can hear the full event via our podcast. Click below to start listening, or search for "Auckland Libraries" in your favourite podcast app.

Into the River and Banned Books: a conversation with the Office of Film and Literature Classification

Libraries all over the world will be celebrating the freedom to read during Banned Books Week at the end of September. This is especially topical in New Zealand right now, with the controversy surrounding Kiwi author Ted Dawe's award-winning young adult novel, Into the River.

We sat down with Michelle Baker, Acting Manager of the Information Unit at the Office of Film and Literature Classification, to find out more about Into the River and "banned books" in New Zealand.

Auckland Libraries: What’s the story with Into the River?

Classification Office: Into the River, published in 2012, was the winner of the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year Award at the 2013 New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards. Under New Zealand's Films, Videos, and Publications Classification Act 1993, books don't have to be classified before they are supplied to the public (in the way that films are). Instead, books are usually classified as a result of a submission from a member of the public, or enforcement action by Police, Customs, or the Department of Internal Affairs.

The organisation Family First made a complaint to the Department of Internal Affairs about the book, and as a result it was submitted to the Classification Office. It was classified using the criteria set out in the legislation, and was classified M (unrestricted, anyone can access it, but it’s more suitable for mature readers).