{
  "id": 14067256,
  "title": "NZ bank in free speech row over 'explicit' sheep memes",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/12/nz-bank-in-free-speech-row-over-explicit-sheep-memes",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-12T23:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Malay Mail",
    "slug": "malay-mail-malaymail",
    "url": "https://www.malaymail.com/news/life/2026/10/13/nz-bank-in-free-speech-row-over-explicit-sheep-memes/238809"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A bank in New Zealand, Kiwibank, has sparked a debate over free speech after attempting to remove \"explicit\" memes featuring its sheep mascot on social media. The bank introduced the mascot \"Buck\" this year through an advertising campaign promoting its services, but the adorable sheep in green wool soon attracted unwanted attention on platforms like X. The memes often referenced Buck's good looks and made unkind references to stereotypes about New Zealanders.\n\nIn response, Kiwibank sent takedown requests, removing the offending posts and leaving only the phrase \"this media has been disabled in response to a report by the copyright owner.\" However, users retaliated by flooding the platform with hundreds more memes showcasing Buck in a sexual context, leading to over four million views for the original post. One social media user jokingly stated, \"what if we ALL say the kiwibank sheep is sexy. They can't get us all.\"\n\nCommentators noted this as an instance of the \"Streisand effect\" – when an attempt to suppress information leads to even greater exposure. The bank's spokesperson, Ben Mabon, explained that the company was responding to \"explicit and harmful content being shared using Buck's image.\" They believed it was crucial to address the issue, as doing nothing would have allowed potentially harmful content to spread.\n\nIn an open letter to Kiwibank, New Zealand's Free Speech Union accused the company of censorship. They argued that copyright protects creative work from being copied, not from being criticized. The letter stated, \"Using copyright to remove speech a company dislikes is censorship, even when the subject is a sheep.\"\n\nNew Zealand has long been known for its sheep population, with a ratio of 4.5 sheep for every person as of 2025, according to the AFP report.",
  "summary": "WELLINGTON, Oct 13 — A bank in New Zealand has found itself at the centre of an unlikely free speech row afte...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}