Free Speech Union backs parody bill: it is time New Zealand got the joke

Free Speech Union backs parody bill: it is time New Zealand got the joke

If you have ever made a meme, remixed a lyric to mock a politician, or drawn a cartoon of the Prime Minister, you have been quietly living on the wrong side of New Zealand copyright law. The Free Speech Union has filed a submission supporting the Copyright (Parody and Satire) Amendment Bill, legislation that would finally legalise the punchline.

“Australia sorted this in 2006. The United Kingdom in 2014. Canada and the United States already protect it. New Zealand is the only comparable country where the parodist is still treated as a copyright risk rather than a democratic asset,” said Jillaine Heather, Chief Executive of the Free Speech Union.

“Satire is not a hobby. It is how a free people holds the powerful to account. A country that cannot protect its cartoonists, its comedians, and its meme-makers has forgotten what freedom of expression is for.”

The Free Speech Union’s submission, filed Friday, supports the Bill but calls for it to be strengthened:

Define “parody” and “satire” in the Bill itself, rather than leaving New Zealand courts to guess. And extend the exception to caricature and pastiche, so that memes, remixes, and digital expression are clearly covered. Most online satire no longer fits the dictionary definitions of “parody” or “satire.”

Resolve the conflict with moral rights. As drafted, a parodist could win the copyright case and still lose on a claim that their work is “prejudicial to the honour or reputation” of the author. Effective satire is prejudicial to honour by design. That is the whole point.

Do not require creators to formally acknowledge the work they are sending up. Labelling a parody “a parody of X” is the legal equivalent of explaining the joke.

Stop terms of service from overriding the exception. No individual satirist is negotiating contracts with YouTube.

Make clear that market harm from effective critique is not unfairness. If a satire damages the market for the original because the critique has landed, that is satire doing its job.

Do not let copyright become a backdoor for censorship. A parody exception is worth little if the same expression can be suppressed through online safety codes, broadcasting standards, or vaguely defined “harmful content” rules. The right to mock and satirise must be protected consistently across the legal landscape.

“This is the fourth time Parliament has been asked to fix this gap. ‘Let’s wait for a broader review’ has itself become a punchline,” Heather said.

“The Free Speech Union supports this Bill. We want it passed, and passed properly. New Zealand should not be the country where the joke is technically illegal.”

ENDS

Notes to editor:

The Copyright (Parody and Satire) Amendment Bill was introduced by Kahurangi Carter MP. Submissions close 19 May 2026. The Free Speech Union has requested to make an oral submission. The full written submission is available on our website.

Free Speech Union Media Contact: Jillaine Heather | [email protected] 

www.fsu.nz