‘Hard task’ of books tribunal

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33219, 8 May 1973, Page 2

‘Hard task’ of books tribunal

<Xew Zealand Frees Association; WELLINGTON, May 7. The task of deciding what the people of New Zealand might and might not read was onerous, thankless, and often unpleasant, said the Minister of Justice (Dr Finlay) today.

Decisions of the Indecent Publications Tribunal had naturally been subject to cri- 1 ticisth, much of it sincere, but some ill-informed and intemperate, he said. “Nonetheless, the tribunal’s sensitivity to literary, artis-i tic, and human values, and its consistent course between the extremes of permissiveness and oppression, have earned it a high reputation outside as well as inside New Zealand.”

NEW MEMBER Dr Finlay was announcing, the retirement from the tri-1 buna! of Mrs Joan Cochran, | one of its original members' in 1963. and the appointment of Miss Whetumarama Rolleston. Miss Rolleston, aged 26., was educated at Tauranga Girls’ High School and Victoria University. She graduated B.A. with honours in political science. She is an executive mem-! ber of the Maori Graduates’; Association and a member of the Maori working party of; the National Development( Council. At present she is a re- ‘ search statistician with the Department of Statistics. “I am delighted that Miss Rolleston has accepted this appointment,’’ said Dr Finlay, i “She is a voung woman of high attainments and 1 am sure she will make a valuable i contribution to the committee’s work.

“She was appointed for her own qualities but I also regard her youth as a very real advantage. In a field such as this I want to try to obtain a better balance between youth and experience than we have hitherto had.” Dr Finlay thanked Mrs Cochran who, except for a short period overseas, had participated in all the tribunal’s decisions since 1963.