# List of books banned in New Zealand

Book censorship has existed in New Zealand since the colonial period. Initially the majority of book censorship was carried out by the Customs Department, which had the authority to refuse entry to books considered indecent. As time went on more branches of government became involved with book censorship including the police, Post Office, courts, Executive Council, Cabinet, and the Department of Justice.
During the First and Second World War, there was significant censorship of literature considered seditious or otherwise contrary to the war effort. In 1963 the book censorship system was reformed. All previous restrictions on books were lifted and the Indecent Publications Tribunal was created, the first organization in New Zealand whose primary purpose was book censorship. Before this, there was no requirement for lists of banned books to be made public. By the end of the 1960s, the Tribunal had banned three books and almost 3000 comics and magazines.
The Indecent Publications Tribunal's treatment of homosexuality changed significantly as a result of the Homosexual Law Reform Act 1986. Before the Act, many books were banned solely on the basis that because consensual sex between men was a criminal offence in New Zealand, any publication that dealt with homosexuality was dealing with crime and was therefore indecent.
The Indecent Publications Tribunal was replaced by the Office of Film and Literature Classification in 1994 when the censorship system was reformed. Classifications given to books by the Indecent Publications Tribunal remain in effect unless they have been re-classified since.
As of September 2011, 1319 books have been banned and an additional 728 have been restricted in some way. More than two-thirds of banned or restricted books were classified before 1987.
This article contains lists of books, comics, librettos, and pamphlets that have had legal restrictions on importation, sale, possession, or exhibition in New Zealand.

## Before the Indecent Publications Tribunal (1841–1963)

The earliest New Zealand legislation solely for the purpose of censorship was the Offensive Publications Act 1892, although Customs regulations prohibiting the importation of indecent material had existed since 1858. The Offensive Publications Act outlawed "any picture or printed or written matter which is of an indecent, immoral, or obscene nature". In 1910 the Indecent Publications Act came into force, replacing earlier censorship legislation. The Act introduced the defence of literary, scientific, or artistic merit in a work. The purpose of this according to the Attorney-General John Findlay was to "protect the liberty which improves and ennobles a nation, while removing the licence which degrades".
Under the Customs Act 1913, any publication could be banned by an order of cabinet. In May 1921, following the First Red Scare, a cabinet directive came into force prohibiting "any document which incites, encourages, advises, or advocates violence, lawlessness, or disorder, or expresses any seditious intention". The Customs Department appointed a censor in July 1921 to deal with seditious publications. In 1922 it was decided that the role of the censor would be expanded to deal with indecent publications as well. The censor immediately released the majority of the novels on the Customs Department's banned list, except for most books about contraception.
The Customs Act 1913 prohibited the importation of all "indecent or obscene articles", which gave considerable discretionary power to the Customs Department as the terms "indecent" and "obscene" weren't explicitly defined. The definition typically used by courts followed the Hicklin rule. This changed in 1939 when the High Court considered factors such as literary merit and circumstances of publication in its ruling on The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio.
In 1923 the book Safe Marriage by Ettie Rout was banned to public outcry. As a result, a committee was created to advise the Customs Department on book censorship. By the 1930s, the Customs Department's advisory committee had fallen into disuse. The committee was reinstated in February 1953 and would last until 1963.
| Published | Title | Author | Type | Banned by | Banned | Current status | Notes |
| 1880 | Nana | Émile Zola | Novel | Magistrate's Court | 1890 | Unrestricted | In 1888–89, publisher Henry Vizetelly was prosecuted in the United Kingdom for obscene libel for publishing translated works of Émile Zola. This led to an investigation into Zola's works by the Christchurch police in which detectives were sent to local bookshops to enquire after novels by Zola. Five men were arrested, prosecuted, and convicted for stocking indecent books. This was the first prosecution for indecent publications in a New Zealand court. One of the books, Nana, was also involved in the English case. All of the books were imported before the English case, and according to the defence counsel, copies of the books were available for sale in almost every New Zealand bookshop before the Vizetelly's prosecution in Britain. |
| 1908 | Five Nights | Victoria Cross | Novel | Magistrate's Court | 1908 | Unrestricted | In 1908 bookshop Whitcomb & Tombs in Christchurch was prosecuted for selling works by Victoria Cross after a police detective was sent to purchase copies. The books were ruled indecent under the Offensive Publications Act 1892. |
| 1906 | Six Women | Victoria Cross | Novel | Magistrate's Court | 1908 | Unrestricted | In 1908 bookshop Whitcomb & Tombs in Christchurch was prosecuted for selling works by Victoria Cross after a police detective was sent to purchase copies. The books were ruled indecent under the Offensive Publications Act 1892. |
| | The Yoke | Victoria Cross | Novel | Magistrate's Court | 1908 | Unrestricted | In 1908 bookshop Whitcomb & Tombs in Christchurch was prosecuted for selling works by Victoria Cross after a police detective was sent to purchase copies. The books were ruled indecent under the Offensive Publications Act 1892. |
| 1899 | The Interpretation of Dreams | Sigmund Freud | Non-fiction | Customs Department | | Unrestricted | Allowed into the country only for professional use. |
| 1886 | The Perfumed Garden | translated by Sir Richard Francis Burton | Sex manual | | | Unrestricted | Banned before the Indecent Publications Act 1964. It was ruled not indecent in 1966. |
| 1918 | Wise Parenthood | Marie Stopes | Non-fiction | Customs Department | | Unrestricted | |
| 1918 | Married Love | Marie Stopes | Non-fiction | Customs Department | | Unrestricted | Allowed to be imported "on the understanding that no guarantee is given that action will not be taken by the police if any offence in respect of them is subsequently committed under the Indecent Publications Act 1910". |
| 1929 | The Sexual Life of Savages in North-Western Melanesia | Bronisław Malinowski | Non-fiction | Customs Department | | Unrestricted | Allowed to be imported "on the understanding that no guarantee is given that action will not be taken by the police if any offence in respect of them is subsequently committed under the Indecent Publications Act 1910". |
| 1922–1927 | My Life and Loves | Frank Harris | Autobiography | | | Unrestricted | Banned before the Indecent Publications Act 1964. Found not indecent by the IPT in 1967. |
| 1903 | Six Chapters in a Man's Life | Victoria Cross | Novel | Customs Department | | Unrestricted | The book was on the Customs lists of prohibited books in 1921. |
| 19th century | A Spar Love Affair | Guy de Maupassant | Fiction | Magistrate's Court | 1917 | Unrestricted | Found indecent in 1917 by a Magistrate's Court under the Indecent Publications Act 1910. The Magistrate S.E. McCarthy held the opinion that wide dissemination of the books "would tend to generate libidinous desires, and these desires not infrequently prove, for their unhappy victims, that broad highway which leads to the mental hospital, the gaol, and the premature grave." |
| 19th century | Stolen Sweets | Charles Paul de Kock | Fiction | Magistrate's Court | 1917 | Unrestricted | Found indecent in 1917 by a Magistrate's Court under the Indecent Publications Act 1910. The Magistrate S.E. McCarthy held the opinion that wide dissemination of the books "would tend to generate libidinous desires, and these desires not infrequently prove, for their unhappy victims, that broad highway which leads to the mental hospital, the gaol, and the premature grave." |
| 1901 | Damaged Goods | Eugène Brieux | Libretto | Customs Department | 1917–1922 | Unrestricted | Seized by Customs in 1917 for being indecent. Released in April 1922. |
| 1913 | Damaged Goods | adapted by Upton Sinclair | Novel | Customs Department | 1921–1922 | Unrestricted | Seized by Customs in 1921 for being indecent. Sinclair wrote to the Comptroller of Customs on 28 December 1921: "It is hard for me to believe that your government, which has the reputation of being one of the most liberal in the world, should bar serious educational writing upon the subject of venereal disease. My novel is merely a translation of the famous play by E. Brieux, which has been played in all the leading cities in America." The book was released in April 1922. |
| | The Wife's Handbook | Henry Arthur Allbutt | Sex manual | Customs Department | 1921 | Unrestricted | |
| | How to Prevent Pregnancy | G. Hardy | Sex manual | Customs Department | 1921 | Unrestricted | |
| 1921 | Over Life's Edge | Victoria Cross | Novel | Customs Department | 1921 | Unrestricted | |
| 1914 | Sylvia's Marriage | Upton Sinclair | Novel | Customs Department | 1921 | Unrestricted | |
| | La Vie Parisienne | | Magazine | | 1921 | Unrestricted | |
| 1921 | The Thing | Gertie de S. Wentworth-James | Novel | | 1921 | Unrestricted | |
| 1922 | Safe Marriage | Ettie Rout | Non-fiction | Customs Department | 1923 | Unrestricted | The book advocated the use of contraception in marriage. It was banned in 1923 to public outcry ultimately leading to the creation of a committee to advise Customs on book censorship. By 1930, the ban had been reversed. |
| | One Thousand and One Nights | translated by the Casanova Society | Collection of folklore | Customs Department | | Unrestricted | Restricted to students of anthropology and ethnology. |
| 1926 | The Butcher Shop | Jean Devanny | Novel | Customs Department | 1926 | Unrestricted | The first New Zealand novel to be banned. In March 1926, the Prime Minister's secretary received correspondence from London that described the book as "disgusting indecent communistic", and in April that year Customs was advised to ban it: "The Board considers this a bad book all round – sordid, unwholesome and unclean. It makes evil to be good. We are of the opinion that it should be banned." |
| 1928 | Lady Chatterley's Lover | D. H. Lawrence | Novel | Customs Department | | Unrestricted | Appeared on the Customs Department's list of banned books. It was found not indecent by the Indecent Publications Tribunal in 1965. |
| 1935 | A Handbook of Marxism | Emile Burns | Non-fiction | Customs Department | | Unrestricted | Banned by 1935. |
| 1928 | The Well of Loneliness | Radclyffe Hall | Novel | Customs Department | 1929 | Unrestricted | |
| | The Hindu Art of Love | | Non-fiction | Customs Department | 1929 | Unrestricted | |
| 1934 | Tropic of Cancer | Henry Miller | Autobiographical novel | Customs Department | | Unrestricted | Henry Miller novels were on the Customs Department's list of banned books for periods between 1934 and 1964. Found not indecent by the IPT in 1967. |
| 1939 | Tropic of Capricorn | Henry Miller | Autobiographical novel | Customs Department | | Unrestricted | Henry Miller novels were on the Customs Department's list of banned books for periods between 1934 and 1964. Found not indecent by the IPT in 1967. |
| 1940 | The World of Sex | Henry Miller | Novel | Customs Department | | Unrestricted | Henry Miller novels were on the Customs Department's list of banned books for periods between 1934 and 1964. Found not indecent by the IPT in 1967. |
| 1949–1960 | The Rosy Crucifixion | Henry Miller | Autobiographical novel | Customs Department | | Unrestricted | Henry Miller novels were on the Customs Department's list of banned books for periods between 1934 and 1964. Found not indecent by the IPT in 1967. |
| 1953 | Plexus | Henry Miller | Autobiographical novel | Customs Department | | Unrestricted | Henry Miller novels were on the Customs Department's list of banned books for periods between 1934 and 1964. Found not indecent by the IPT in 1967. |
| 1956 | Quiet Days in Clichy | Henry Miller | Autobiographical novella | Customs Department | | Unrestricted | Henry Miller novels were on the Customs Department's list of banned books for periods between 1934 and 1964. Found not indecent by the IPT in 1967. |
| 1960 | Nexus | Henry Miller | Autobiographical novel | Customs Department | | Unrestricted | Henry Miller novels were on the Customs Department's list of banned books for periods between 1934 and 1964. Found not indecent by the IPT in 1967. |
| 1832–1837 | Droll Stories | Honoré de Balzac | Collection of short stories | Customs DepartmentMagistrate's Court | | Unrestricted | On the Customs Department's list of prohibited books. Eventually removed. Banned by a Magistrate's Court in 1935. |
| | Smokehouse Monthly | | Magazinie | Customs Department | 1937 | Unrestricted | The August 1937 edition of Smokehouse Monthly was banned for being indecent. |
| | Ace G Men | | Pulp fiction | Customs Department | 1938 | Unrestricted | Among the 300,000 American pulp magazines seized by Customs in 1938 for glorifying violence. |
| | Breezy Stories | | Pulp fiction | Customs Department | 1938 | Unrestricted | Among the 300,000 American pulp magazines seized by Customs in 1938 for glorifying violence. |
| | Real Detective | | Pulp fiction | Customs Department | 1938 | Unrestricted | Among the 300,000 American pulp magazines seized by Customs in 1938 for glorifying violence. |
| | Wu Fang | | Pulp fiction | Customs Department | 1938 | Unrestricted | Among the 300,000 American pulp magazines seized by Customs in 1938 for glorifying violence. |
| | Shadow | | Pulp fiction | Customs Department | 1938 | Unrestricted | Among the 300,000 American pulp magazines seized by Customs in 1938 for glorifying violence. |
| | True Confessions | | Pulp fiction | Customs Department | 1938 | Unrestricted | Among the 300,000 American pulp magazines seized by Customs in 1938 for glorifying violence. |
| | Intimate Romances | | Pulp fiction | Customs Department | 1938 | Unrestricted | Among the 300,000 American pulp magazines seized by Customs in 1938 for glorifying violence. |
| | Doc Savage | | Pulp fiction | Customs Department | 1938 | Unrestricted | Among the 300,000 American pulp magazines seized by Customs in 1938 for glorifying violence. |
| | Dime Detective | | Pulp fiction | Customs Department | 1938 | Unrestricted | Among the 300,000 American pulp magazines seized by Customs in 1938 for glorifying violence. |
| | Candid Confessions | | Pulp fiction | Customs Department | 1938 | Unrestricted | Among the 300,000 American pulp magazines seized by Customs in 1938 for glorifying violence. |
| | Actual Detective | | Pulp fiction | Customs Department | 1938 | Unrestricted | Among the 300,000 American pulp magazines seized by Customs in 1938 for glorifying violence. |
| | Your Body | | Pulp fiction | Customs Department | 1938 | Unrestricted | Among the 300,000 American pulp magazines seized by Customs in 1938 for glorifying violence. |
| | Foto Crime | | Pulp fiction | Customs Department | 1938 | Unrestricted | Among the 300,000 American pulp magazines seized by Customs in 1938 for glorifying violence. |
| | Spicer | | Pulp fiction | Customs Department | 1938 | Unrestricted | Among the 300,000 American pulp magazines seized by Customs in 1938 for glorifying violence. |
| 14th century | The Decameron | Giovanni Boccaccio | Collection of novellas | Magistrate's Court | 1939–1939 | Unrestricted | In 1939 a policeman borrowed The Decameron from a private lending library. He was shocked by its contents and had a court case brought against the owner of the club. The Magistrate's Court found the book to be indecent by the Hicklin rule. Later the same year, the High Court abandoned the Hicklin rule and overturned the finding that it was indecent. The Supreme Court gave greater weight to the circumstances of the book's publication and its artistic merit. It was the first case in New Zealand of evidence of a publication's literary merit being heard in court. |
| For books banned during World War II, see § World War II (1939–1945). ||||||||
| 1944 | Forever Amber | Kathleen Winsor | Novel | Customs Department | 1945 | Unrestricted | Banned by Minister of Customs Walter Nash for giving undue prominence to sex. The ban was implemented through import licence regulations which meant that private imports were not prohibited. The New Zealand Library Association objected to the ban, arguing that import licensing regulations could be used to place an uncontestable ban on any imported publication. |
| 1947 | For the Rest of Our Lives | Dan Davin | Novel | Customs Department | | Unrestricted | |
| 1933 | Psychology of Sex | Havelock Ellis | Medical textbook | Customs Department | 1946 | Unrestricted | Allowed to be imported on the understanding that there was no guarantee that police might not prosecute at a later date. |
| | Encyclopedia of Sex Practice | | Medical textbook | Customs Department | 1946 | Unrestricted | Allowed to be imported on the understanding that there was no guarantee that police might not prosecute at a later date. |
| 1934 | Birth Control Today | Marie Stopes | Medical textbook | Customs Department | 1946 | Unrestricted | Allowed to be imported on the understanding that there was no guarantee that police might not prosecute at a later date. |
| 1949 | "Intimacy" | Jean-Paul Sartre | Short story | Customs Department | | Unrestricted | Allowed to be imported on the understanding that there was no guarantee that police might not prosecute at a later date. |
| 1922 | Ulysses | James Joyce | Novel | Customs Department | 1950 | Unrestricted | Allowed to be imported on the condition that it would be sold "only to members of the educational profession and bona fide students of literature, and on the understanding that no guarantee is given that action will not be taken by the police if any offence in respect of them is subsequently committed under the Indecent Publications Act, 1910." |
| 1955 | Boss of Britain's Underworld | Billy Hill | Memoir | Department of Justice | 1956 | Unrestricted | Deemed indecent in 1956 for encouraging lawlessness. The Minister of Justice stated publicly in 1956 that anyone selling the book would be prosecuted and any copies that were imported would be seized by the Customs Department. Banned by the Ministry of Justice in 1959. |
| 1950 | My Gun Is Quick | Mickey Spillane | Novel | Department of Justice | 1955 | Unrestricted | Banned by the Department of Justice with the cooperation of Associated Booksellers of New Zealand. |
| 1950 | Vengeance Is Mine! | Mickey Spillane | Novel | Department of Justice | 1955 | Unrestricted | Banned by the Department of Justice with the cooperation of Associated Booksellers of New Zealand. |
| 1951 | One Lonely Night | Mickey Spillane | Novel | Department of Justice | 1955 | Unrestricted | Banned by the Department of Justice with the cooperation of Associated Booksellers of New Zealand. |
| 1951 | The Long Wait | Mickey Spillane | Novel | Department of Justice | 1955 | Unrestricted | Banned by the Department of Justice with the cooperation of Associated Booksellers of New Zealand. |
| 1951 | The Big Kill | Mickey Spillane | Novel | Department of Justice | 1955 | Unrestricted | Banned by the Department of Justice with the cooperation of Associated Booksellers of New Zealand. |
| 1952 | Kiss Me, Deadly | Mickey Spillane | Novel | Department of Justice | 1955 | Unrestricted | Banned by the Department of Justice with the cooperation of Associated Booksellers of New Zealand. |
| 1950 | Lay Her Among the Lilies | James Hadley Chase | Novel | Department of Justice | 1955 | Unrestricted | Banned by the Department of Justice with the cooperation of Associated Booksellers of New Zealand. |
| 1951 | Strictly for Cash | James Hadley Chase | Novel | Department of Justice | 1955 | Unrestricted | Banned by the Department of Justice with the cooperation of Associated Booksellers of New Zealand. |
| 1952 | The Fast Buck | James Hadley Chase | Novel | Department of Justice | 1955 | Unrestricted | Banned by the Department of Justice with the cooperation of Associated Booksellers of New Zealand. |
| 1953 | This Way for a Shroud | James Hadley Chase | Novel | Department of Justice | 1955 | Unrestricted | Banned by the Department of Justice with the cooperation of Associated Booksellers of New Zealand. |
| 1953 | I'll Bury My Dead | James Hadley Chase | Novel | Department of Justice | 1955 | Unrestricted | Banned by the Department of Justice with the cooperation of Associated Booksellers of New Zealand. |
| 1900– | Health and Efficiency | | Magazine | Customs Department | 1957 | Unrestricted | Customs allowed nudist clubs to import the magazine on the condition that "misuse of club copies would result in action under the Indecent Publications Act, 1910." |
| 1933 | God's Little Acre | Erskine Caldwell | Novel | Customs Department | | Unrestricted | |
| 1957 | Mandingo | Kyle Onstott | Novel | Customs DepartmentDepartment of Justice | 1959 | Unrestricted | In late 1959, the Secretary for Justice informed the booksellers that the Justice Department considered Mandingo indecent. It would eventually be on the Customs Department's and the Justice Department's list of prohibited books. It was found not indecent by the IPT in 1965. |
| 1958 | Borstal Boy | Brendan Behan | Autobiography | Customs Department | 1958 | Unrestricted | Banned by Customs without consultation with the Literary Advisory Committee. The book was referred to the Committee after its ban was queried by Associated Booksellers of New Zealand. By August 1959, the book was permitted for special orders and was not allowed to be displayed to the public. |
| 1947 | You Can't See 'Round Corners | Jon Cleary | Novel | Department of Justice | 1959 | Unrestricted | In January 1959, the Department of Justice informed the book's Australian publisher that it would be considered indecent in New Zealand, although the book had already been circulating in the country and stocked in public libraries for many years. |
| 1955 | Lolita | Vladimir Nabokov | Novel | Customs DepartmentSupreme CourtCourt of Appeals | 1959 | Unrestricted | Banned in 1955 by Customs, disregarding the Literary Advisory Committee's recommendation that it should be available for restricted sale. The decision was challenged by the New Zealand Council for Civil Liberties. The High Court ruled the book indecent for having an undue emphasis on sex that would corrupt the reader. The ruling was upheld by the Court of Appeal in a 2–1 decision. Lolita was found not indecent by the Indecent Publications Tribunal in 1964. |
| 1959 | A Way of Love | James Courage | Novel | | | Unrestricted | "The novel was banned under the censorship provisions in place before the setting up of the Indecent Publications Tribunal in 1964." |
| 1791 | Justine | Marquis de Sade | Novel | Indecent Publications Tribunal | | Unrestricted | Banned before the Indecent Publications Act 1964. In 1965 the Indecent Publications Tribunal restricted it to "psychologists, psychiatrists, and adult bona fide students of literature or philosophy". However in 1994 a collection of three de Sade novels including Justine was ruled as not indecent. |

### World War I period (1914–1920)

During World War I, power was given to the New Zealand Defence Force and later to the Customs Department to prohibit the importation of literature that was considered undesirable, usually for being seditious. Wartime censorship of books and letters continued for many months after the end of the war.
| Published | Title | Author | Type | Banned by | Banned | Current status | Notes |
| | works of the Industrial Workers of the World | | | Executive Council | 1915 | Unrestricted | Importation of any printed matter from the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) was prohibited by an Order in Council on 20 September 1915. This included the newspapers Direct Action and Solidarity. Sale of all IWW works was prohibited by a Gazette notice on 30 November 1917. |
| | Gaelic Magazine | | | Executive Council | 1917 | Unrestricted | Importation was prohibited by an Order in Council in 1917. |
| | Rome's hideous guilt | | Pamphlet | | 1919 | Unrestricted | |
| 1920 | Programme of the World Revolution | Nikolai Bukharin | Pamphlet | | | Unrestricted | In 1920 future prime minister Walter Nash, a bookseller at the time, was arrested and fined £12 for importing Programme of the World Revolution. |
| 1898– | Jane's Fighting Ships | John Frederick Thomas Jane | Reference book | | | Unrestricted | |
| | The World's Warships | John Frederick Thomas Jane | Reference book | Minister of Defence | 1915 | Unrestricted | Sale of these books was prohibited on 17 November 1915 under the War Regulations Act 1914. |
| | Warships at a Glance | John Frederick Thomas Jane | Reference book | Minister of Defence | 1915 | Unrestricted | Sale of these books was prohibited on 17 November 1915 under the War Regulations Act 1914. |
| | Naval Recognition Book | John Frederick Thomas Jane | | Minister of Defence | 1915 | Unrestricted | Sale of these books was prohibited on 17 November 1915 under the War Regulations Act 1914. |
| | Fleets of the World | | | Minister of Defence | 1915 | Unrestricted | Sale of these books was prohibited on 17 November 1915 under the War Regulations Act 1914. |
| | The Naval Pocket-book | | | Minister of Defence | 1915 | Unrestricted | Sale of these books was prohibited on 17 November 1915 under the War Regulations Act 1914. |
| | International Socialist Review | | | Minister of Defence | 1916 | Unrestricted | Sale of these periodicals was prohibited on 29 February 1926 under the War Regulations Act 1914. |
| | The Fatherland | | | Minister of Defence | 1916 | Unrestricted | Sale of these periodicals was prohibited on 29 February 1926 under the War Regulations Act 1914. |
| | Issues and Events | | | Minister of Defence | 1916 | Unrestricted | Sale of these periodicals was prohibited on 29 February 1926 under the War Regulations Act 1914. |
| | all American newspapers and periodicals printed in the German language | | | Minister of Defence | 1916 | Unrestricted | Sale of these periodicals was prohibited on 29 February 1926 under the War Regulations Act 1914. |
| | Atlanta American | | Periodical | Governor of the Dominion of New Zealand | 1916 | Unrestricted | 22 periodicals were prohibited by an Order in Council on 21 December 1916. |
| 1906–1939 | Atlanta Georgian | | Newspaper | Governor of the Dominion of New Zealand | 1916 | Unrestricted | 22 periodicals were prohibited by an Order in Council on 21 December 1916. |
| 1904–1961 | Boston American | | Newspaper | Governor of the Dominion of New Zealand | 1916 | Unrestricted | 22 periodicals were prohibited by an Order in Council on 21 December 1916. |
| 1900–1939 | Chicago American | | Newspaper | Governor of the Dominion of New Zealand | 1916 | Unrestricted | 22 periodicals were prohibited by an Order in Council on 21 December 1916. |
| 1907–1918 | Chicago Examiner | | Newspaper | Governor of the Dominion of New Zealand | 1916 | Unrestricted | 22 periodicals were prohibited by an Order in Council on 21 December 1916. |
| 1903–1962 | Los Angeles Examiner | | Newspaper | Governor of the Dominion of New Zealand | 1916 | Unrestricted | 22 periodicals were prohibited by an Order in Council on 21 December 1916. |
| 1873–1931 | Los Angeles Herald | | Newspaper | Governor of the Dominion of New Zealand | 1916 | Unrestricted | 22 periodicals were prohibited by an Order in Council on 21 December 1916. |
| | Morgan Journal | | Periodical | Governor of the Dominion of New Zealand | 1916 | Unrestricted | 22 periodicals were prohibited by an Order in Council on 21 December 1916. |
| 1901–1937 | New York American | | Newspaper | Governor of the Dominion of New Zealand | 1916 | Unrestricted | 22 periodicals were prohibited by an Order in Council on 21 December 1916. |
| | New York Deutsches Journal | | Periodical | Governor of the Dominion of New Zealand | 1916 | Unrestricted | 22 periodicals were prohibited by an Order in Council on 21 December 1916. |
| 1895–1937 | New York Evening Journal | | Newspaper | Governor of the Dominion of New Zealand | 1916 | Unrestricted | 22 periodicals were prohibited by an Order in Council on 21 December 1916. |
| | San Francisco Examiner | | Newspaper | Governor of the Dominion of New Zealand | 1916 | Unrestricted | 22 periodicals were prohibited by an Order in Council on 21 December 1916. |
| | San Francisco Sunday American | | Periodical | Governor of the Dominion of New Zealand | 1916 | Unrestricted | 22 periodicals were prohibited by an Order in Council on 21 December 1916. |
| | Sunday Georgian | | Periodical | Governor of the Dominion of New Zealand | 1916 | Unrestricted | 22 periodicals were prohibited by an Order in Council on 21 December 1916. |
| 1886– | Cosmopolitan | | Magazine | Governor of the Dominion of New Zealand | 1916 | Unrestricted | 22 periodicals were prohibited by an Order in Council on 21 December 1916. |
| 1885– | Good Housekeeping | | Magazine | Governor of the Dominion of New Zealand | 1916 | Unrestricted | 22 periodicals were prohibited by an Order in Council on 21 December 1916. |
| 1867– | Harper's Bazaar | | Magazine | Governor of the Dominion of New Zealand | 1916 | Unrestricted | 22 periodicals were prohibited by an Order in Council on 21 December 1916. |
| | Hearst's Magazine | | Magazine | Governor of the Dominion of New Zealand | 1916 | Unrestricted | 22 periodicals were prohibited by an Order in Council on 21 December 1916. |
| 1903– | Motor | | Magazine | Governor of the Dominion of New Zealand | 1916 | Unrestricted | 22 periodicals were prohibited by an Order in Council on 21 December 1916. |
| | Motor Boating Magazine | | Periodical | Governor of the Dominion of New Zealand | 1916 | Unrestricted | 22 periodicals were prohibited by an Order in Council on 21 December 1916. |
| | Ross's Magazine | | Periodical | Governor of the Dominion of New Zealand | 1916 | Unrestricted | 22 periodicals were prohibited by an Order in Council on 21 December 1916. |
| | Bull | | Illustrated newspaper | Governor of the Dominion of New Zealand | 1916 | Unrestricted | 22 periodicals were prohibited by an Order in Council on 21 December 1916. |
| | The Black Prophet | Guy Fitch Phelps | | Attorney-General | 1918 | Unrestricted | The Black Prophet and any publications containing extracts of The Black Prophet were prohibited by an Order in Council on 28 June 1918. |
| 1916 | Green Ray | | Newspaper | Attorney-General | 1918 | Unrestricted | Green Ray was an Irish nationalist newspaper founded in late 1916. It was prohibited by and Order in Council on 3 July 1918. The Order also prohibited every future edition and any substitute newspaper with the same proprietor, publisher, printer, or editor. |
| | Gold for Iron | Fellowship of Reconciliation | Pamphlet | Attorney-General | 1918 | Unrestricted | Prohibited by an Order in Council on 19 July 1918. |
| 1919 | Novi Svijet | Jugo-Slav Publishing Company | Journal | Attorney-General | 1919 | Unrestricted | Novi Svijet was a newspaper founded in May 1919 by Slavs in Auckland. On 6 June 1919 it prohibited by an Order in Council for being "injurious to the public interest in respect to the present war". It was prohibited after an open letter in Croatian had been found to be unfavourable to the National Service Regulations. The Attorney-General Francis Bell told the complainants that he had considered a prosecution, as the newspaper "contained matter calculated to excite discontent and disobedience among the Slavs [and] printed in English an article inciting treason and disloyalty in Ireland". Several months later the newspaper obtained permission to publish in English and changed its name to its English equivalent, New World. The newspaper failed to sell in this form, and applied for permission to publish half in Dalmatian. This request was refused. |
| | Grey River Argus | | Newspaper | | | Unrestricted | Grey River Argus was fined £25 in 1920 for "publishing a letter from a correspondent saying it was futile to believe the capitalist class would tamely submit to being legalised out of existence". |
| 1910 | War: What For? | George Ross Kirkpatrick | Non-fiction | | 1920 | Unrestricted | Withheld by Customs in 1920 although it had been distributed in the country previously. |
| | Socialism in Queensland | Joseph King | Pamphlet | | 1920 | Unrestricted | Barred by Customs from entering New Zealand in 1920. |
| 1919 | Soviets and the Soviet Government | Joseph King | Pamphlet | | 1920 | Unrestricted | Barred by Customs from entering New Zealand in 1920. |
| 1919 | Bolsheviks and Bolshevism | Joseph King | Pamphlet | | 1920 | Unrestricted | Barred by Customs from entering New Zealand in 1920. |
| 1919 | Prospect and Retrospect | Philip Snowden | Pamphlet | | 1920 | Unrestricted | Barred by Customs from entering New Zealand in 1920. |
| 1919 | The Coming Crash | J.W. Newbald | Non-fiction | | 1920 | Unrestricted | Barred by Customs from entering New Zealand in 1920. |
| 1918 | The Gang Behind the Government, or Capital's Case for Industrial Unionism | J.W. Newbald | Essay | | 1920 | Unrestricted | Barred by Customs from entering New Zealand in 1920. |
| 1919 | The Hidden Hand in Politics | J.W. Kneeshaw | Pamphlet | | 1920 | Unrestricted | Barred by Customs from entering New Zealand in 1920. |
| 1919 | The Allies' Crime against Russia | A.W. Humphrey | Pamphlet | | 1920 | Unrestricted | Barred by Customs from entering New Zealand in 1920. |
| 1919 | Capitalist Russia and Socialist Russia | Philips Price | Non-fiction | | 1920 | Unrestricted | Barred by Customs from entering New Zealand in 1920. |
| 1919 | Why Good Men Go Wrong in War | Richard Lee | Pamphlet | | 1920 | Unrestricted | Barred by Customs from entering New Zealand in 1920. |
| | The Communist Programme | | Pamphlet | | | Unrestricted | Some time before May 1921, a man was sentenced to three months' hard labour for selling copies of The Communist Programme. |
| | Red Europe | Frank Anstey | Non-fiction | | | Unrestricted | Banned by the Reform Government according to Opposition MP Harry Holland. |
| | Money and Power | Frank Anstey | Non-fiction | | | Unrestricted | |
| 1825–1994 | Anti-Slavery Reporter | Zachary Macaulay | Periodical | | 1915 | Unrestricted | Confiscated from pacifist Charles Mackie in November 1915, alongside a carton of 500 leaflets from the British Stop the War Committee and a batch of suffragist material. |

### World War II (1939–1945)

Censorship of books, pamphlets, newspapers, telegraph, radio, mail, and public speech was extensive during World War II. Censorship regulations were drafted in September 1938 during the Munich Agreement and were brought into force on 1 September 1939. They established the Controller of Censorship, responsible for postal and telegraph censorship, and the Director of Publicity, responsible for press censorship. These two roles were created to prevent dissemination of prejudicial information and subversive reports.
The Controller of Censorship had the power to "cause any postal packet to be opened, detained, or delayed", and many books were detained under the Controller's direction. Books were withheld for various reasons, including interfering with the war effort, having ties to communism, and being likely to cause strong sectarian strife or bitterness. Some innocuous books were withheld if they were in the same packages as suspected books.
In correspondence between the Controller of Censorship George McNamara and the Prime Minister Peter Fraser about the communist and pacifist literature entering the country by post, McNamara said
   The volume is fairly heavy and is continuous. As most of it is definitely antagonistic to British ideals and of a subversive character, it is being detained, but some may be reaching the country in larger packages as cargo. All of it is aimed at converting our people to Communism or other isms, and is definitely against the war effort.
The list of banned books was never made public during the war and was generally kept secret, to the frustration of libraries and booksellers. Reluctant to waste their already restricted budgets and risk their import licences, libraries and booksellers avoided importing books they thought might be withheld, and librarians began to remove books considered dangerous to the common good during wartime. By 1940 the number of intercepted and withheld books had become substantial. Minister of Customs Walter Nash, having been a bookseller's agent, had a special interest in books and took charge of this branch of censorship. Nash created an ad hoc committee to advise the Controller of Censorship on which books should be released, with the intention of releasing as many as possible. Throughout the war, this committee made the majority of decisions in secret about the entry of books into the country.
The Censorship and Publicity Emergency Regulations were revoked on 6 September 1945.
| Published | Title | Author | Type | Banned by | Banned | Current status | Notes |
| | The New Communist Manifesto | | Pamphlet | Customs Department | 1930s | Unrestricted | Banned in the 1930s for advocating violence, lawlessness, or disorder or expressing seditious intention. |
| | The World Trade Union Movement | | Pamphlet | Customs Department | 1930s | Unrestricted | Banned in the 1930s for advocating violence, lawlessness, or disorder or expressing seditious intention. |
| 1940 | Karl Marx in his Earlier Writings | H. P. Adams | | Controller of Censorship | −1940 | Unrestricted | Withheld for having a connection to communism; released in October 1940 following the first report of the advisory committee to the Controller of Customs. Karl Marx in his Earlier Writings was released again in May 1941, having been on the Controller of Censorship May 1941 list of banned books. |
| 1917 | Freedom Calling, the Story of the Secret German Radio | | Pamphlet | Controller of Censorship | −1940 | Unrestricted | Withheld for having a connection to communism; released in October 1940 following the first report of the advisory committee to the Controller of Customs. Karl Marx in his Earlier Writings was released again in May 1941, having been on the Controller of Censorship May 1941 list of banned books. |
| 1917 | Rebels and Reformers | Arthur Ponsonby Dorothea Ponsonby | | Controller of Censorship | −1940 | Unrestricted | Withheld for having a connection to communism; released in October 1940 following the first report of the advisory committee to the Controller of Customs. Karl Marx in his Earlier Writings was released again in May 1941, having been on the Controller of Censorship May 1941 list of banned books. |
| 1940 | Rosa Luxemburg | Paul Frölich | | Controller of Censorship | −1940 | Unrestricted | Withheld for having a connection to communism; released in October 1940 following the first report of the advisory committee to the Controller of Customs. Karl Marx in his Earlier Writings was released again in May 1941, having been on the Controller of Censorship May 1941 list of banned books. |
| 1940 | Karl Marx | Leon Trotsky | | Controller of Censorship | −1940 | Unrestricted | Withheld for having a connection to communism; released in October 1940 following the first report of the advisory committee to the Controller of Customs. Karl Marx in his Earlier Writings was released again in May 1941, having been on the Controller of Censorship May 1941 list of banned books. |
| 1940 | India Today | R. Palme Dutt | | Controller of Censorship | −1940 | Unrestricted | Withheld for having a connection to communism; released in October 1940 following the first report of the advisory committee to the Controller of Customs. Karl Marx in his Earlier Writings was released again in May 1941, having been on the Controller of Censorship May 1941 list of banned books. |
| 1940 | War and the Labour Movement | Harry Pollitt | | Controller of Censorship | 1940 | Unrestricted | Banned in October 1940 on the grounds of being anti-imperialist propaganda and supporting trade union opposition to the war. |
| 1940 | The War Crisis | William Z. Foster | | Controller of Censorship | 1940 | Unrestricted | Banned in October 1940 on the grounds of being anti-imperialist propaganda and supporting trade union opposition to the war. |
| 1940 | Is this a War for Freedom? | Ernst Fischer | | Controller of Censorship | 1940 | Unrestricted | Banned in October 1940 on the grounds of being anti-imperialist propaganda and supporting trade union opposition to the war. |
| 1940 | Social Democracy and the War | V. I. Jerome | | Controller of Censorship | 1940 | Unrestricted | Banned in October 1940 on the grounds of being anti-imperialist propaganda and supporting trade union opposition to the war. |
| | Soviets Today | | Periodical | Controller of Censorship | 1940 | Unrestricted | Banned in October 1940 for advocating the Russian regime. |
| | Moscow News | | Periodical | Controller of Censorship | 1940 | Unrestricted | Banned in October 1940 for advocating the Russian regime. |
| | Labour Monthly | | Periodical | Controller of Censorship | 1940 | Unrestricted | Banned in October 1940 for advocating the Russian regime. |
| | Communist International | | Periodical | Controller of Censorship | 1940 | Unrestricted | Banned in October 1940 for advocating the Russian regime. |
| | New Masses | | Periodical | Controller of Censorship | 1940 | Unrestricted | Banned in October 1940 for advocating the Russian regime. |
| | What Every Young Man should know about War | H. R. Shapiro | | Controller of Censorship | 1940 | Unrestricted | Banned in October 1940 for being pacifist anti-war propaganda. |
| 1939 | The Land of Socialism Today and Tomorrow: Reports and Speeches at the 18th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (Bolsheviks), March 10–21, 1939 | Communist Party of the Soviet Union | | Controller of Censorship | | Unrestricted | Withheld and held for decision by a higher authority. |
| 1940 | Soviet Foreign Policy, the meaning of the War in Finland | Vyacheslav Molotov | | Controller of Censorship | | Unrestricted | Withheld and held for decision by a higher authority. |
| 1938 | Questions and Answers on Communism | J. R. Campbell | | Controller of Censorship | −1942 | Unrestricted | Withheld in 1939 or 1940 and held for decision by a higher authority in October 1940; banned in May 1941. Released in November 1942. |
| 1938 | Truth and Mr Chamberlain | Steven MacGregor | | Controller of Censorship | | Unrestricted | Withheld from circulation in 1939 or 1940 and held for decision by a higher authority in October 1940; later banned in May 1941. In November 1942, the ban remained in place. |
| 1928 | Falsehood in War-Time | Arthur Ponsonby | | Controller of Censorship | | Unrestricted | Withheld from circulation in 1939 or 1940 and held for decision by a higher authority in October 1940; later banned in May 1941. In November 1942, the ban remained in place. |
| 1847 | The Communist Manifesto | Karl Marx Friedrich Engels | | Controller of Censorship | −1942 | Unrestricted | Withheld and held for decision by a higher authority; still held by Customs in June 1942. It was a set book at Victoria University of Wellington in 1941, but the university's students were not allowed to access it. It was released in November 1942. |
| 1847 | The Poverty of Philosophy | Karl Marx | | Controller of Censorship | | Unrestricted | Withheld and held for decision by a higher authority in 1939 or 1940. |
| 1875 | Critique of the Gotha Programme | Karl Marx | | Controller of Censorship | | Unrestricted | Withheld and held for decision by a higher authority in 1939 or 1940. |
| 1917 | The State and Revolution | Vladimir Lenin | | Controller of Censorship | | Unrestricted | Withheld and held for decision by a higher authority in 1939 or 1940. |
| 1917 | Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism | Vladimir Lenin | | Controller of Censorship | | Unrestricted | Withheld and held for decision by a higher authority in 1939 or 1940. |
| | Religion | Vladimir Lenin | | Controller of Censorship | | Unrestricted | Withheld and held for decision by a higher authority in 1939 or 1940. |
| 1917 | Letters from Afar | Vladimir Lenin | | Controller of Censorship | | Unrestricted | Withheld and held for decision by a higher authority in 1939 or 1940. |
| | works of the Jehovah's Witnesses | | | Customs Department | 1940 | Unrestricted | In October 1940 the Jehovah's Witnesses was declared a subversive organisation. In November 1940 all literature by the Jehovah's Witnesses' was banned for being subversive. |
| 1941 | An Autobiography | Jawaharlal Nehru | Autobiography | Controller of Censorship | −1941 | Unrestricted | Released in August 1941. |
| 1937 | Adolescent Psychology | A. H. Arlitt | | Controller of Censorship | −1941 | Unrestricted | Released in August 1941. |
| 1940 | Lust for Life | Irving Stone | | Controller of Censorship | −1941 | Unrestricted | Released in August 1941. |
| 1940 | Modern Marriage and Birth Control | E. F. Griffith | | Controller of Censorship | −1941 | Unrestricted | Released in August 1941. |
| 1939 | The Children we Teach | Susan Isaacs | | Controller of Censorship | −1941 | Unrestricted | Released in August 1941. |
| 1933 | Towards the Understanding of Karl Marx | S. Hook | | Controller of Censorship | −1941 | Unrestricted | Released in August 1941. |
| 1939 | Culture and the People | Maxim Gorki | | Controller of Censorship | −1941 | Unrestricted | Released in August 1941. |
| 1938 | Why You Should Be a Socialist | John Strachey | | Controller of Censorship | −1941 | Unrestricted | Released in August 1941. |
| 1940 | Revolt on the Clyde | Willie Gallacher | | Controller of Censorship | −1941 | Unrestricted | Released in August 1941. |
| 1937 | Post-War History of the British Working Class | Allen Hutt | | Controller of Censorship | −1941 | Unrestricted | Released in August 1941. |
| 1940 | Is this an Imperialist War? | Harold Laski | | Controller of Censorship | −1941 | Unrestricted | Released in August 1941. |
| 1937 | Soviet Communism | Sidney Webb Beatrice Webb | | Controller of Censorship | −1941 | Unrestricted | Released in August 1941. |
| | Daily Worker | | | Controller of Censorship | | Unrestricted | Released following the termination of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact in June 1941. |
| 1939 | We Will Not Cease | Archibald Baxter | | Controller of Censorship | 1941 | Unrestricted | Banned in August 1941 for being pacifist and anti-war. |
| | works of the British Central Board for Conscientious Objectors | | | Controller of Censorship | 1941 | Unrestricted | All publications from the British Central Board for Conscientious Objectors were banned in August 1941. |
| 1940 | Leninism | Joseph Stalin | | Controller of Censorship | 1941 | Unrestricted | Banned in August 1941. |
| | Lenin on Religion | | | Controller of Censorship | | Unrestricted | Banned for being pacifist. |
| 1940 | Industrial History in Wartime | Wal Hannington | | Controller of Censorship | −1942 | Unrestricted | In June 1942, the Collector of Customs informed the Progressive Book Society of Auckland of a number of books that were being held, including Twenty Years, Industrial History in Wartime, British Trade Unionism, a short history (which had been banned by April 1941), two books by Stalin on Leninism, and five books by Lenin. Industrial History in Wartime and British Trade Unionism were released in November 1942. |
| | Twenty Years | Willie Gallacher | | Controller of Censorship | | Unrestricted | In June 1942, the Collector of Customs informed the Progressive Book Society of Auckland of a number of books that were being held, including Twenty Years, Industrial History in Wartime, British Trade Unionism, a short history (which had been banned by April 1941), two books by Stalin on Leninism, and five books by Lenin. Industrial History in Wartime and British Trade Unionism were released in November 1942. |
| | British Trade Unionism, a short history | Allen Hutt | | Controller of Censorship | −1942 | Unrestricted | In June 1942, the Collector of Customs informed the Progressive Book Society of Auckland of a number of books that were being held, including Twenty Years, Industrial History in Wartime, British Trade Unionism, a short history (which had been banned by April 1941), two books by Stalin on Leninism, and five books by Lenin. Industrial History in Wartime and British Trade Unionism were released in November 1942. |
| 1942 | What Will it be Like? | Richard Acland | | Controller of Censorship | | Unrestricted | Withheld from Wellington booksellers according to a 19 March 1942 House of Commons question from MP J. A. Lee. |
| 1941 | Guide to the New World; a handbook of Constructive World Revolution | H. G. Wells | | Controller of Censorship | | Unrestricted | Withheld from Wellington booksellers according to a 19 March 1942 House of Commons question from MP J. A. Lee. |
| | works of Lenin and Stalin | | | Controller of Censorship | −1942 | Unrestricted | All works of Lenin and Stalin were released in November 1942. |
| 1940 | Hands off the Daily Worker | J. B. S. Haldane | | Controller of Censorship | −1942 | Unrestricted | Released in 1942 after being withheld by the Controller of Censorship. |
| 1940 | British Liberty in Danger | Ronald Kidd | | Controller of Censorship | −1942 | Unrestricted | Released in 1942 after being withheld by the Controller of Censorship. |
| | Britain and Russia | W. Holmes | | Controller of Censorship | −1942 | Unrestricted | Released in 1942 after being withheld by the Controller of Censorship. |
| 1940 | Revolution for Socialism | Pat Sloan | | Controller of Censorship | −1942 | Unrestricted | Released in 1942 after being withheld by the Controller of Censorship. |
| 1940 | Russia and the League of Nations | Pat Sloan | | Controller of Censorship | −1942 | Unrestricted | Released in 1942 after being withheld by the Controller of Censorship. |
| 1938 | Political and Social Doctrines of Communism | R. Palme Dutt | | Controller of Censorship | −1942 | Unrestricted | Released in 1942 after being withheld by the Controller of Censorship. |
| 1941 | Serving my Time | Harry Pollitt | | Controller of Censorship | −1942 | Unrestricted | Released in 1942 after being withheld by the Controller of Censorship. |
| 1916–1919 | C. O.'s Hansard | Central Board for Conscientious Objectors | | Controller of Censorship | | Unrestricted | Banned for pacifism by November 1942. |
| | Hawkers of Death: The Private Manufacture and Trade in Arms | Philip Noel-Baker | | Controller of Censorship | | Unrestricted | Banned for being anti-war as it concerned private arms trading. |
| 1940 | Fair Play for Servicemen and their Families | D. F. Springhall | | Controller of Censorship | | Unrestricted | Banned for divulging the exploitation of the working class in war. |
| | Men behind the War | J. Johnson | | Controller of Censorship | | Unrestricted | Banned for divulging the exploitation of the working class in war. |
| 1940 | Wartime Profits | British Labour Research Department | | Controller of Censorship | | Unrestricted | Banned for divulging the exploitation of the working class in war. |
| | The Empire & the War | Communist Party of Great Britain | | Controller of Censorship | | Unrestricted | Banned for divulging the exploitation of the working class in war. |
| | Democracy for Whom? A striking Contrast: Democracy in Australia and the Soviet Union | Lance Sharkey | | Controller of Censorship | | Unrestricted | Banned for divulging the exploitation of the working class in war. |
| 1939 | India's demand for freedom | University Labour Federation | | Controller of Censorship | | Unrestricted | On the list of banned titles in November 1942. |
| 1940 | Why must India fight? | V. K. Krishna Menon | | Controller of Censorship | | Unrestricted | On the list of banned titles in November 1942. |
| 1936 | What are you going to do about it? | Aldous Huxley | | Controller of Censorship | | Unrestricted | On the list of banned titles in November 1942. |
| 1941 | No Friend of Democracy; a study of Roman Catholic Politics—their Influence on the Course of the Present War and the Growth of Fascism | Edith Moore | | Controller of Censorship | 1942 | Unrestricted | Seized from a packet addressed to the Rationalist Association and banned in November 1942 for being "disruptive on religious grounds". The book was critical of the Roman Catholic Church for cooperating with Italian Fascists. |
| | Tomorrow | | Literary journal | Controller of Censorship | | Unrestricted | |
| | New Statesman | | | Controller of Censorship | | Unrestricted | It had been seized by 1942. Eventually it was released. |
| | People's Voice | | Newspaper | Controller of Censorship | | Unrestricted | |

## Indecent Publications Tribunal (1963–1994)

| Published | Title | Author | Type | Banned by | Banned | Current status | Notes |
| 1963 | The Group | Mary McCarthy | Novel | Customs Department | 1964 | Unrestricted | Although The Group was on the Customs list of prohibited or restricted books in 1964, it had already been imported and was available in bookshops. The book was later removed from the list. |
| 1964 | Washday at the Pā | Ans Westra | Children's literature | Department of Education | 1964 | Unrestricted | |
| | Fanny | H. Janson | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1964 | Banned | Ruled indecent in 1964. |
| | Whiplash | R. W. | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1964 | Banned | Ruled indecent in 1964. |
| | Adultery in Suburbia | Matthew Bradley | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1964 | Banned | Ruled indecent in 1964. |
| | The Debauched Hospodar | Guillaume Apollinaire | Pornographic novel | Indecent Publications Tribunal | | Restricted | Ruled indecent in 1965 unless circulation was "restricted to persons professionally engaged in the study of abnormal psychology". Given an R18 classification in 1975. |
| | Memoirs of a Young Rakehell | Guillaume Apollinaire | Erotic novel | Indecent Publications Tribunal | | Restricted | Ruled indecent in 1965 unless circulation was "restricted to persons professionally engaged in the study of abnormal psychology". Given an R18 classification in 1975. |
| | The Jewel in the Lotus | Allen Edwardes | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1966 | Restricted | Restricted 18 in 1966. |
| | Unusual Female Sex Practices | David Oliver Cauldwell | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1967 | Banned | Ruled indecent in 1967. |
| | Female Auto-Erotic Practices | Havelock Ellis | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1967 | Banned | Ruled indecent in 1967. |
| 1888 | My Secret Life | Walter | Memoir | Indecent Publications Tribunal | | Restricted | In 1968 and in 1976 it was ruled indecent except in the hands of persons over 18 years of age whose professional or academic studies extend into the field covered by the book. |
| 1967 | Why Was He Born So Beautiful And Other Rugby Songs | | Songbook | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1968 | Banned | Ruled indecent in 1968: "This is an anthology of bawdy songs, said to be popular among players of Rugby union football. Some are diverting; many are crudely indecent. The question for the Tribunal is not whether footballers should amuse themselves by bawling these songs off the field, but whether their text should be given a wider circulation in what may be called the decent licence of print; and the Tribunal decides that it should not. It is accordingly declared to be indecent." |
| | Small Town Sex Today | Victor J. Banis | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1968 | Banned | Ruled indecent in 1968. |
| | Story of Venus and Tannhauser | Aubrey Beardsley | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1968 | Restricted | Restricted 18 in 1968. |
| | I, Jan Cremer [nl] | Jan Cremer | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1968 | Restricted | Restricted 18 in 1968. |
| | Glory of de Dienes' Women | Andre de Dienes | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1968 | Banned | Ruled indecent in 1968. |
| | Schönheit Im Bild III | Andre de Dienes | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1968 | Restricted | Restricted 18 in 1968. |
| | Sun Warmed Nudes | Andre de Dienes | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1968 | Banned | Ruled indecent in 1968. |
| | A History of Eroticism | Joseph-Marie Lo Duca translated by Kenneth Anger | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1968 | Restricted | In 1968 it was ruled indecent "except in the hands of professional students of medicine, psychology, sociology, and fine arts". |
| | The Cradle of Erotica | Allen Edwardes | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1968 | Restricted | Restricted 18 in 1968. |
| | Sex and the Single Man | Albert Ellis | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1968 | Restricted | Restricted 17 in 1968. |
| | Satan's Saint | Guy Endore | Autobiography | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1968 | Restricted | Restricted 18 in 1968. |
| | Ladies on Call | Lee Francis | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1968 | Restricted | Restricted 18 in 1968. |
| | Checan | Rafael Larco Hoyle | Non-fiction | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1968 | Restricted | In 1968 it was ruled not indecent "except in the hands of persons under 18 years unless they be certified students of art, archaeology or ancient history." |
| | Walter—My Secret Life | Eberhard and Phyllis Kronhausen | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1968 | Restricted | Restricted 18 in 1968. |
| | Black Czarina | Leopold von Sacher-Masoch translated by H. J. Stenning | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1968 | Restricted | Restricted 18 in 1968. |
| | Venus in Furs | Leopold von Sacher-Masoch translated by H. J. Stenning | Novella | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1968 | Restricted | Restricted 18 in 1968. |
| | Woman and the Sea | Richard Tregaskis | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1968 | Restricted | Restricted 18 in 1968. |
| | Eros Modern' Style | Patrick Waldberg | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1968 | Restricted | Restricted 18 in 1968. |
| 1797 | Juliette | Marquis de Sade | Novel | Indecent Publications Tribunal | | Restricted | In 1969 it was ruled indecent except in the hands of bona fide students over the age of 20 years engaged in work or research in sociological and related fields. |
| 1907 | Sadopaideia | Ashantee of Edinburgh | Erotic novel | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1969 | Banned | Ruled indecent in 1969. |
| 1958 | Candy | Terry Southern Mason Hoffenberg | Novel | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1969 | Banned | Ruled indecent in 1969. |
| | My Bed is not for Sleeping | Gerty Agoston | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1969 | Restricted | Restricted 17 in 1969. |
| | Mistress of Bayou Labelle | Lou Cameron | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1969 | Banned | Ruled indecent in 1969. |
| | The World Is Full of Married Men | Jackie Collins | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1969 | Restricted | Restricted 18 in 1969. |
| | Jailbirds in the Back Seat | Marcus van Heller | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1969 | Banned | Ruled indecent in 1969. |
| | Sex Marchers | Jefferson Poland Sam Sloan | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1969 | Restricted | Restricted 18 in 1969. |
| | Master Masochist | Leopold von Sacher-Masoch | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1969 | Restricted | Restricted 18 in 1969. |
| | Sex Manners and Advanced Lovers | Robert Chartham | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1970 | Banned | Ruled indecent in 1970. |
| | Sex Turned On | Richard E. Geis | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1970 | Banned | Ruled indecent in 1970. |
| | Community of Women | Sheldon Lord | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1970 | Banned | Ruled indecent in 1970. |
| | Where's Poppa? | Robert Klane | Novel | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1971 | Banned | Ruled indecent in 1971. |
| | My Carnal Confession | Gerty Agoston | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1971 | Banned | Ruled indecent in 1971. |
| | Sex and the Over Forties | Robert Chartham | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1971 | Restricted | Restricted 18 in 1971. |
| | Master Baiter | Troy Conway | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1971 | Banned | Ruled indecent in 1971. |
| | Venus in India | Charles Devereux | Erotic novel | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1971 | Restricted | Restricted 18 in 1971. |
| | Erotic Fantasies | Eberhard and Phyllis Kronhausen | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1971 | Restricted | Restricted 18 in 1971. |
| | More Walter—My Secret Life | Eberhard and Phyllis Kronhausen | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1971 | Restricted | Restricted 18 in 1971. |
| | As the Naked Wind from the Sea | Gustav Sandgren | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1971 | Restricted | Restricted 18 in 1971. |
| | Blue Movie | Andy Warhol | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1971 | Restricted | Restricted 18 in 1971. |
| | The Magic Garden of Stanley Sweetheart | Robert T. Westbrook | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1971 | Restricted | Restricted 18 in 1971. |
| 1904 | The 120 Days of Sodom | Marquis de Sade | Erotic novel | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1972–1998 | Restricted | Ruled indecent in 1972. In 1998 it was given an R18 classification by the OFLC. It can only be displayed publicly in a sealed package with the R18 classification shown. |
| 1970 | Blue Movie | Terry Southern | Novel | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1972 | Banned | Ruled indecent in 1972. |
| | The Screw Reader | Jim Buckley Al Goldstein | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1972 | Banned | Ruled indecent in 1972. |
| | Pictoral Guide to Sexual Fulfilment | Robert Chartham | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1972 | Restricted | Restricted 18 in 1972. |
| | Die 64 Besten Sexfotos | Andre de Dienes | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1972 | Restricted | Restricted 18 in 1972. |
| | Nude Photography | Andre de Dienes | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1972 | Restricted | Restricted 18 in 1972. |
| | Abandon | Richard E. Geis | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1972 | Banned | Ruled indecent in 1972. |
| | Suddenly, Wonderfully Gay | Peter Kanto | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1972 | Banned | Ruled indecent in 1972. |
| | Freedom to Love | Eberhard and Phyllis Kronhausen | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1972 | Banned | Ruled indecent in 1972. |
| | 1001 Ways to Make Love | Tuli Kupferberg | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1972 | Banned | Ruled indecent in 1972. |
| | All-Night Visitors | Clarence Major | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1972 | Restricted | Restricted 18 in 1972. |
| | Screen | Barry N. Malzberg | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1972 | Banned | Ruled indecent in 1972. |
| | Oracle of the Thousand Hands | Barry N. Malzberg | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1972 | Restricted | Restricted 18 in 1972. |
| | Libido Sexualis | Albert Moll | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1972 | Restricted | Restricted 18 in 1972. |
| | Love in the Open Air | Tuppy Owens | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1972 | Restricted | Restricted 18 in 1972. |
| | Step by Step Instruction in Sexual Technique | Tuppy Owens | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1972 | Banned | Ruled indecent in 1972. |
| | The Bikers | Alex R. Stuart | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1972 | Restricted | Restricted 18 in 1972. |
| | Thongs | Alexander Trocchi | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1972 | Banned | Ruled indecent in 1972. |
| | The Gentle Degenerates | Marco Vassi | Erotic novel | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1972 | Banned | Ruled indecent in 1972. |
| | The Saline Solution | Marco Vassi | Erotic novel | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1972 | Banned | Ruled indecent in 1972. |
| | Mind Blower | Marco Vassi | Erotic novel | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1972 | Restricted | Restricted 18 in 1972. |
| 1967 | Emmanuelle | Emmanuelle Arsan | Erotic novel | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1973 | Banned | Ruled indecent in 1973 and 1987. |
| | Xaviera | Xaviera Hollander | Autobiography | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1973 | Banned | Ruled indecent in 1973. |
| | The Life and Loves of Mr. Jiveass Nigger | Cecil Brown | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1973 | Restricted | Restricted 18 in 1973. |
| | Your Sex Drive | Robert Chartham | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1973 | Banned | Ruled indecent in 1973. |
| | Erotic Art | Eberhard and Phyllis Kronhausen | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1973 | Restricted | Restricted 18 in 1973. |
| | One Last Mad Embrace | Jack Trevor Story | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1973 | Banned | Ruled indecent in 1973. |
| | A Secret Diary | William Veitch | Autobiography | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1973 | Restricted | Restricted 18 in 1973. |
| 197819921997 | Marijuana Grower's Guide | Mel Frank Ed Rosenthal | Instructional | Indecent Publications TribunalOffice of Film and Literature Classification | 1978 | Banned | The deluxe edition was ruled indecent in 1978 for "adding to the sum total of knowledge about an entirely illegal activity." The book's standard edition was ruled indecent in 1992 for being "injurious to the public good and contrary to commonly accepted standards", and in 1997 it was banned by the OFLC. |
| 1991 | American Psycho | Bret Easton Ellis | Novel | Indecent Publications TribunalOffice of Film and Literature Classification | | Restricted | In December 1991 it was ruled indecent in the hands of persons under the age of 18 years. In 2014 Auckland Council requested that the OFLC reconsider the book and it was given the same R18 classification. |
| | Male Classics | | Magazine | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1965 | Banned | Male Classics no. 30 and Male Classics Annual were both ruled indecent in 1964. |
| | Modern Adonis | | Magazine | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1965 | Banned | Modern Adonis no. 25 was ruled indecent in 1964. |
| | Physique Pictorial | | Magazine | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1965 | Banned | Physique Pictorial volume 3 no. 3 was ruled indecent in 1964. |
| 1748–1749 | Fanny Hill | John Cleland | Erotic novel | Indecent Publications Tribunal | | Restricted | In 1965 an expurgated edition was given an R18 classification. The book was given an R18 classification in 1991. |
| | Penthouse | | Magazine | Indecent Publications Tribunal | | Restricted | Restricted 18 in 1972. |
| 1964 | Last Exit to Brooklyn | Hubert Selby Jr. | Novel | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1967–1971 | Restricted | Restricted to "adults engaged in work or research in sociological and related fields" in 1967 "because it deals almost exclusively and in sickening detail with the grossest forms of evil." It was given an R18 classification in 1971 because "the importance this work has assumed in contemporary literature is such that adults should now be able to read it". In 2014 it was given an R16 classification by the OFLC because its content "is likely to injure children and younger teenagers who are still developing the concepts, knowledge and maturity needed to make sense of the material". |
| 1959 | Naked Lunch | William S. Burroughs | Novel | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1967–1974 | Restricted | Ruled indecent in 1967. In 1974 it was ruled indecent in the hands of persons under the age of 18. |
| | Soft Machine | William S. Burroughs | Novel | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1971–2014 | Unrestricted | Given an R18 classification in 1971. It was unrestricted by the OFLC in 2014 after Auckland Council made a request for reconsideration. |
| | The Wild Boys | William S. Burroughs | Novel | Indecent Publications Tribunal | | Restricted | Given an R18 classification in 1975. |
| 1965 | The Story of O | Pauline Réage | Erotic novel | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1967–2014 | Restricted | In 1967 it was restricted to professional psychiatrists. The terms of its circulation was expanded in 1976 to include clinical psychologists. In 2014 it was given an R16 classification by the OFLC. |
| 1887 | Psychopathia Sexualis | Richard von Krafft-Ebing | Medical textbook | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1967–2015 | Unrestricted | In 1967 its sale was restricted to persons concerned either professionally or as students with sexual abnormalities. It was given an unrestricted classification by the OFLC in 2015. |
| | The Pearl | Anonymous | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | | Restricted | In 1969 and 1976 it was ruled indecent except in the hands of persons over the age of 18 years engaged in research relevant to the material of the book. |
| 1969 | Oh! Calcutta! | Kenneth Tynan | Libretto | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1970–1974 | Unrestricted | Ruled indecent in 1970. The ruling applied only to the script, not to any performance of the play. Ruled not indecent in 1974. |
| 1971 | Frost | Richard Amory | Erotic novel | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1972 | Banned | Ruled indecent in 1972. |
| 1966 | The Song of the Loon | Richard Amory | Erotic novel | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1970–1993 | Restricted | Ruled indecent in 1970. It was given an R16 classification in 1993 after a request for reconsideration from the Lesbian and Gay Archives of New Zealand Trust. |
| 1967 | Confessions of a Pimp | Nick G. as told to Jon Fowler | Novel | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1971 | Banned | Ruled indecent in 1971: "There is nothing of any substance in this worthless novel by way of characterisation or story to interfere with the simple appeal it makes to wallow in grossly offensive incidents of sexual indulgence." |
| 1969 | The Goddess Game | Hugh Barron | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1971 | Restricted | Restricted 18 in 1971. |
| 1971 | Jackboot Girls | Leslie McManus | Fiction | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1971 | Banned | Ruled indecent in 1971. |
| 1970 | Bloody Mama | Robert Thorn | Novel | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1971–2012 | Unrestricted | Ruled indecent in 1971. Unrestricted by the OFLC in 2012. |
| 1967 | A Lesbian Happening | Tony Trelos | Novel | Indecent Publications Tribunal | | Restricted | Restricted 18 in 1972. |
| 1956 | Roman Orgy | Marcus van Heller | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1972 | Banned | Ruled indecent in 1972. |
| | Olympia Reader | Maurice Girodias | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1972 | Banned | Ruled indecent in 1972. |
| 1970 | The New Olympia Reader | Maurice Girodias | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1972–1993 | Restricted | Ruled indecent in 1972. It was given an R18 classification in 1993 after a request for reconsideration from the Lesbian and Gay Archives of New Zealand Trust. |
| 1971 | The Room | Hubert Selby Jr. | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | | Restricted | Given an R18 classification in 1973. |
| 1972 | Hello Sex | Anders Jorgens Gunilla Jorgens | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1973 | Banned | Ruled indecent in 1973. |
| | Over-exposure | Denis William Shirley | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1973 | Banned | Ruled indecent in 1973. |
| 1970 | One for the Gods | Gordon Merrick | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1973–1993 | Restricted | Ruled indecent in 1973. Given an R18 classification in 1993 after a request for reconsideration from the Lesbian and Gay Archives of New Zealand Trust. |
| 1971 | The Lord Won't Mind | Gordon Merrick | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1973–1993 | Restricted | Ruled indecent in 1973. Given an R18 classification in 1993 after a request for reconsideration from the Lesbian and Gay Archives of New Zealand Trust. |
| 1971 | The Happy Hooker | Xaviera Hollander | Memoir | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1973 | Banned | Ruled indecent in 1973. |
| 1973 | Inside Linda Lovelace | Linda Lovelace | Autobiography | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1974 | Banned | Ruled indecent in 1974 and 1978. |
| | White Lunch Comix No. 1 | Robert Crumb | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1974 | Banned | Ruled indecent in 1974. |
| | XYZ Comics | Rand Holmes Jim Jones | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1974 | Banned | Ruled indecent in 1974. |
| 1972 | The Joy of Sex | Alex Comfort | Sex manual | Indecent Publications Tribunal | | Restricted | The paperback edition was given an R16 classification in 1975 and in 1978 the hardback edition was as well. |
| | More Joy of Sex | Alex Comfort | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | | Restricted | Given an R16 classification in 1976 and 1978. In 2014 Auckland Council requested that the OFLC reconsider the book and it was given the same R16 classification. |
| | Intimate Embrace | David Oliver Cauldwell | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1975 | Restricted | Restricted 16 in 1975. |
| | Snatches and Lays | Simon Ffuckes Sebastian Hogbotel | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1975 | Banned | Ruled indecent in 1975. |
| | John and Mimi | John Lobell Mimi Lobell | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1975 | Banned | Ruled indecent in 1975. |
| | Summer Holiday Sex Manual | Tuppy Owens | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1975 | Banned | Ruled indecent in 1975. |
| 1974 | Show Me! | Helga Fleischhauer-Hardt | Sex education | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1976 | Banned | The English-language edition was ruled indecent by the IPT in 1976. The German-language edition was classified as objectionable by the OFLC in 1996: "the book purports to be a manual for the sexual education of children, but presents children in an erotic manner". |
| | Confessions of a Window Cleaner | Timothy Lea | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1976 | Restricted | Restricted 16 in 1976. |
| | Down Under the Plum Trees | Michael Murphy Felicity Tuohy | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1977 | Restricted | Restricted 18 unless instructed by parents or professional advisers. An interim restriction order was made. |
| 1975 | Ancient and Modern Methods of Growing Extraordinary Marijuana | Adam Gottlieb | Instructional | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1978 | Banned | |
| 1975 | The Complete Psilocybin Mushroom Cultivator's Bible | | Instructional | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1978 | Banned | |
| | Horney Housewife | | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1979 | Banned | |
| | Make it Happy: What Sex is all About | Jane Cousins | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | | Restricted | Restricted 16 in 1979. |
| | Delta of Venus | Anaïs Nin | Collection of erotic short stories | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1979 | Restricted | Restricted 16 in 1979. |
| 1976 | Xaviera's Supersex | Xaviera Hollander | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1980,1986 | Banned | |
| 1969 | The Improvised Munitions Handbook | United States Department of the Army | Instructional | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1983 | Banned | |
| 1977 | Home Workshop Guns for Defense and Resistance Volume 1 | Bill Holmes | Instructional | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1983 | Banned | |
| 1979 | Home Workshop Guns for Defense and Resistance Volume 2 | Bill Holmes | Instructional | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1983 | Banned | |
| 1982 | Bare Kills | Oscar Diaz-Cobo | Instructional | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1983 | Banned | |
| 1980 | Galactic Girl | Fiona Richmond | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1982–1992 | Restricted | Ruled indecent in 1982 for having "no honest purpose [and being] capable of corrupting persons likely to read the book". "Normally, it is possible to discern a plot in books that are referred to the Tribunal. In considering this publication, we have had considerable difficulty in trying to find any coherent story in the mass of explicit sexual descriptions that permeate this book." It was given an R18 classification in 1992: "Galactic Girl consists of a series of sexual encounters loosely strung together without benefit of plot. There is a brief description of spanking (page 86) and on page 126 there is a foiled attempt to get a robot to rape a woman, but these are passing incidents which in no way constitute the dominant effect. We accordingly classify this publication as indecent in the hands of persons under the age of 18 years." |
| | A Different Love | | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1985 | Banned | A Different Love and I Once Had a Master were ruled indecent in 1985 because they "dwell on and glamorise the sexual side of homosexual relationships". |
| | I Once Had a Master | John Preston | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1985 | Banned | A Different Love and I Once Had a Master were ruled indecent in 1985 because they "dwell on and glamorise the sexual side of homosexual relationships". |
| 1977 | Men Loving Men | Mitch Walker | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1983–1993 | Unrestricted | Men Loving Men, The Joy of Gay Sex, and Lovers were ruled indecent in 1983 because, although they were presented in a "serious restrained manner, [they] nevertheless promote and encourage homosexual activity, which is of course a criminal offence in New Zealand, thereby liable to corrupt persons who might read them." Men Loving Men kept its classification in 1988 in a 3–2 decision for not dealing with the subject of AIDS, the section on S&M, and a "very brief section on drugs as a means of enhancing sexual pleasure". All three books were ruled not indecent in 1993 after a request for reconsideration from the Lesbian and Gay Archives of New Zealand Trust. |
| | Joy of Gay Sex | | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1983–1993 | Unrestricted | Men Loving Men, The Joy of Gay Sex, and Lovers were ruled indecent in 1983 because, although they were presented in a "serious restrained manner, [they] nevertheless promote and encourage homosexual activity, which is of course a criminal offence in New Zealand, thereby liable to corrupt persons who might read them." Men Loving Men kept its classification in 1988 in a 3–2 decision for not dealing with the subject of AIDS, the section on S&M, and a "very brief section on drugs as a means of enhancing sexual pleasure". All three books were ruled not indecent in 1993 after a request for reconsideration from the Lesbian and Gay Archives of New Zealand Trust. |
| | Lovers | | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1983–1993 | Unrestricted | Men Loving Men, The Joy of Gay Sex, and Lovers were ruled indecent in 1983 because, although they were presented in a "serious restrained manner, [they] nevertheless promote and encourage homosexual activity, which is of course a criminal offence in New Zealand, thereby liable to corrupt persons who might read them." Men Loving Men kept its classification in 1988 in a 3–2 decision for not dealing with the subject of AIDS, the section on S&M, and a "very brief section on drugs as a means of enhancing sexual pleasure". All three books were ruled not indecent in 1993 after a request for reconsideration from the Lesbian and Gay Archives of New Zealand Trust. |
| | Coming to Power | Samois | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1985 | Banned | Ruled indecent in 1985: "Some of the stories are well written but many are crude and lacking in any redeeming features." |
| 1896 | Parisian Frolics | Adolphe Belot | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1985 | Banned | Banned because its stories "had no literary features, and were little more than a camouflage for a series of explicit sexual episodes." |
| 1810 | Venus School Mistress | George Cannon | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1985 | Banned | Banned for lacking "any real historical, social, or literary merit". "At best it is a social document but we feel it lacks any real historical, social, or literary merit to declare it other than indecent. We are reinforced in this point of view by the impression that if this book was written now rather than over a century ago, the Tribunal would have little hesitation in finding it indecent." |
| | Joy | Joy Laurey | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1987 | Banned | |
| 1983 | The World of the American Pit Bull Terrier | Richard F. Stratton | Non-fiction | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1991 | Banned | |
| | Click | Milo Manara | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1991 | Banned | |
| | Boobytraps | United States Department of the Army | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1991 | Banned | |
| | Xaviera's Magic Mushrooms | Xaviera Hollander | | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1992 | Restricted | Restricted 18 in 1992. |
| 1971 | The Anarchist Cookbook | William Powell | Instructional | Indecent Publications Tribunal | 1994 | Banned | |

## Office of Film and Literature Classification (1994–present)

| Published | Title | Author | Type | Banned by | Banned | Current status | Notes |
| 1991 | Diva Obsexion | Federico De Zigno Riccardo Morrocchi Stefano Piselli | Illustrated | Office of Film and Literature Classification | 1995 | Banned | Banned for tending to support a theme of sadistic force against women. |
| | The Great Big Narcotics Cookbook | | Book | Office of Film and Literature Classification | 1995 | Banned | Banned because it details how to manufacture and use illegal drugs. |
| | Behind Closed Doors | Alina Reyes | Fiction | Office of Film and Literature Classification | 1996 | Banned | Banned because it "tends to promote and support the exploitation of children and young persons for sexual purposes, the use of urine and excrement in association with sexual conduct, the act of bestiality, and the infliction of extreme violence." |
| 1992 | The Seventh Acolyte Reader | | Collection of short stories | Office of Film and Literature ClassificationFilm and Literature Board of Review | 1996 | Banned | Banned in 1996. The ban was upheld by the Board of Review in 1997 and 2000. In Moonen v Film and Literature Board of Review, the 1997 classification was appealed to the High Court and then to the Court of Appeal. The Court of Appeal rejected the appeal, but concluded that neither the High Court nor the Board of Review had given effective consideration to the Bill of Rights Act. The Court of Appeal determined that the words of the Classification Act must be given "such available meaning as impinges as little as possible on the freedom of expression". As a result of the Moonen case, the OFLC must always consider the freedom of expression set out in the Bill of Rights Act. |
| | Total Abuse: Collected Writings, 1984–1995 | Peter Sotos | | Office of Film and Literature Classification | 1998 | Banned | Banned "because it promotes and supports the exploitation of children and young persons for sexual purposes; the use of violence to force persons to submit to sexual conduct; sexual conduct with a dead person; the use of urine and excrement in association with degrading, dehumanising and sexual conduct (rape, torture and abuse); bestiality; and acts of torture and the infliction of extreme violence and extreme cruelty." |
| 1997 | The Giant Black Book of Computer Viruses | Mark Ludwig | Non-fiction | Office of Film and Literature Classification | 1998 | Banned | Banned for its instructional purpose and "mischievous design": "It is clear from the way that the book is organised that the information is intended to be put to use [...] the warning on the back cover of the book is a clear invitation for irresponsible computer users to use the information." |
| 1996 | Death Scenes: A Homicide Detective's Scrapbook | | Photobook | Office of Film and Literature Classification | 1998 | Banned | Banned because of "the significant extent and degree to which this book presents degrading and dehumanising images of death": "The Classification Office believes that there is likely injury to the public good in forensic photographs of this nature being widely available as entertainment." |
| 1976 | David Hamilton's Private Collection | David Hamilton | Photobook | Office of Film and Literature Classification | 1998 | Banned | Banned for tending to promote or support the sexual exploitation of children and young persons. |
| 1992 | Twenty Five Years of an Artist | David Hamilton | Photobook | Office of Film and Literature Classification | 1998 | Banned | Banned for sexualizing children and young persons. |
| 1999 | Holiday Snapshots | David Hamilton | Photobook | Office of Film and Literature ClassificationFilm and Literature Board of Review | 2000 | Banned | Banned in 2000. The ban was upheld by the Board of Review in 2001 and 2004. |
| | Opium for the Masses | Jim Hogshire | Educational | Office of Film and Literature Classification | 2002 | Banned | Banned for explicitly detailing methods of procurement, cultivation, extraction and consumption of opium. |
| 1996 | Psilocybin Mushrooms of the World | Paul Stamets | Educational | Office of Film and Literature Classification | 2002 | Banned | Banned because it "deals exclusively with the location, identification and ingestion" of controlled hallucinogenic plants. |
| | The Big Book Of Buds | Ed Rosenthal | Educational | Office of Film and Literature Classification | 2002 | Banned | Banned for promoting and encouraging cultivation and use of cannabis: "The publication contains extensive information on plant varieties, articles on topics such as decriminalisation of cannabis and the history of cannabis use, and numerous high quality photographs. Although the book advised against illegal activity, the dominant effect of the publication as a whole is the promotion and encouragement of the criminal act of cultivating and using cannabis, an offence under s9 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975." |
| 1998 | Advanced Techniques Of Clandestine Psychedelic & Amphetamine Manufacture | Uncle Fester | Educational | Office of Film and Literature Classification | 2003 | Banned | Banned for instructing how to clandestinely manufacture and distribute illegal drugs. |
| 2006 | The Peaceful Pill Handbook | Philip Nitschke Fiona Stewart | Non-fiction | Office of Film and Literature Classification | 2007 | Mixed | The original edition of the book (ISBN 978-0-9788788-2-5) was banned in 2007 for dealing with "the infliction of serious physical harm", giving "instruction on how to commit and conceal criminal acts" such as drug smuggling and manufacture, and "how to conceal one's involvement with the commission of a suicide". The New Revised International Edition (ISBN 978-0-9788788-3-2) which altered the original by obscuring sections of text was given an R18 classification in 2008 and must be in a sealed bag labelled with the classification: "The dominant effect of these rather obvious 'censored sections' is that the book no longer provides sufficient practical instructional detail in how to commit crime to fall within s3(3)(d) of the FVPC Act. A secondary effect is that readers are left in no doubt about the authors' opinion of New Zealand censorship law and of the Classification Office's application of it to the first version of this book. This secondary effect is, however, of no concern to the law because it is an expression of opinion." The Society for Promotion of Community Standards made a request for reconsideration in 2008, but the Board of Review did not change the R18 classification. |
| | Little Sister Club 2 | Various / DO Comics | Manga | Office of Film and Literature Classification | 2007 | Banned | Banned for encouraging readers to view children and young teenagers as valid objects of sexual desire, to derive sexual pleasure from inflicting pain, and to use violence against vulnerable young people to compel participation in sexual conduct. |
| | Pleasant Dripping With Sweat | Izumi Tsukimori | Manga | Office of Film and Literature Classification | 2009 | Banned | Banned because it encourages readers "to view children and young persons as valid objects of sexual desire who are physically and emotionally available for sexual activity, and therefore promotes their exploitation by adults". |
| 2012 | Into the River | Ted Dawe | Novel | Office of Film and Literature Classification | 2015 | Unrestricted | Banned in 2015; subsequently unrestricted in the same year. |
| 2016 | Natsu no Maboroshi | Takanae Kyourin | Doujinshi | Office of Film and Literature Classification | 2018 | Banned | Banned because "Its purpose is to sexually arouse those with a interest in children and it encourages adults to regard children as appropriate subjects for sexual fantasy." |
| 2017 | Oji-san to. / With an Old Guy | Tarazoo | Doujinshi | Office of Film and Literature Classification | 2018 | Banned | Banned because "Its purpose is to sexually arouse those with a interest in young girls and it encourages adults to regard them as appropriate subjects for sexual fantasy." |
| 2017 | Kokonotokoro | Ishikei | Doujinshi | Office of Film and Literature Classification | 2018 | Banned | Banned for encouraging adults to regard children and young persons as appropriate subjects for sexual fantasy. |
| 2019 | The Great Replacement | Brenton Tarrant | Text File | Office of Film and Literature Classification | 2019 | Banned | 74 page Manifesto published prior to the Christchurch mosque shootings. Banned for promoting murder and terrorism. An appeal was filed by The Kiwi Party Incorporated, and the Board held their prior decision. |