Arthur Everard

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Arthur Everard (born 1935) is a New Zealand filmmaker and journalist who served as the country’s seventh Chief Censor from 1984 to 1990.

He studied psychology at Victoria University of Wellington and spent about 19 years at the National Film Unit as a writer, editor and director. He made several films, including Margan’s Musical Move (1971), a piece about music that used footage of tanks firing; Games ’74, about the 1974 Commonwealth Games; and Score, which set rugby action to Tchaikovsky and won a prize at the Montreal Film Festival.

Everard was named Chief Censor in February 1984. He later said the job should be a referee between groups with different tastes and interests in society, rather than a defender of morals or liberties.

During his time, he approved the film I Spit on Your Grave in 1984. This decision drew protests from groups such as Women Against Pornography and the Society for the Promotion of Community Standards, led by Patricia Bartlett, who campaigned for his removal.

In 1990, Parliament passed a Films Amendment Act that set a six-year limit on how long someone could remain Chief Censor. That change effectively ended Everard’s term in 1991. The rule stayed in place until 1999, when it was repealed while Bill Hastings served as Acting Chief Censor.

After leaving the position, Everard returned to filmmaking. He made Gottfried Lindauer in New Zealand, about the 19th‑century painter of Maori portraits, and co‑produced To live in the city 24 years on, a 1991 documentary about four adults who had appeared in a 1967 pre‑employment program for rural Maori. He also wrote film reviews and worked as the science and technology correspondent for a wine and spirits publication.

Jane Wrightson succeeded him as Chief Censor.