Sharing of Christchurch shooting video likely to be against the law

15 March 2019

The Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) advises that people who share the video of the shooting today in Christchurch are likely to be committing an offence.

A DIA spokesperson says that the video is likely to be objectionable content under New Zealand law.

“The content of the video is disturbing and will be harmful for people to see. This is a very real tragedy with real victims and we strongly encourage people to not share or view the video.

“We are working with social media platforms, who are actively removing this content as soon as they are made aware of an instance of it being posted.

“If you see this video or any objectionable material online, you can help take it down by reporting the incident to the online platform it is hosted by. All social media platforms have a complaints function you can follow.

“We are aware that people may have unsuspectingly viewed the video on social media platforms thinking it is a media article, so please be vigilant of images that yourself and those around you are viewing, particularly our young people.”

If you or someone you know has viewed the video and are struggling with what you have seen please see 1737 ‘Need to talk’ or free call or text 1737.

If you are concerned that something you have seen may be objectionable, contact the Censorship team.

For further information on how to stay safe online, please see:

Netsafe – New Zealand’s independent, non-profit online safety organisation that provides practical tools, support and advice for managing online challenges, including cyberbullying, and helps people stay safe.

Office of Film and Literature Classification – the government body that classifies publications and provides information about decisions and undertakes research about classifications and their affects.

Other useful resources – takes you to the Department’s Censorship page which has a selection of useful links to other websites related to Internet safety.

Contact:
Media Desk
Te Tari Taiwhenua Department of Internal Affairs
Direct Dial: +64 27 535 8639
45 Pipitea Street | PO Box 805, Wellington 6140, New Zealand | www.dia.govt.nz