Ted Dawe, author of banned book Into The River. Photo: Supplied
Into the River can now be bought, borrowed and displayed after a decision was made to classify it as unrestricted.
The young adult book by Ted Dawe was banned after the Christian lobby group Family First complained about its content, which includes sex scenes, drug use and swearing.
In a just-released decision, the Film and Literature board said although the book described a number of unacceptable, offensive and objectionable behaviours, it did not in any way promote them.
It said on the contrary, the book clearly set out to discourage and discredit such behaviours.
Into The River was the first book to be banned in New Zealand in more than 20 years and it will soon be available to readers in the US and Canada.
American publishing house Polis Books plan to publish the novel in hardcover and as an e-book after founder Jason Pinter heard about the New Zealand ban.
"Any time a book is banned, all it serves to do is get the book more readers," he told Radio New Zealand.
Into the River won Book of the Year at the 2013 New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards, but was not picked up for publication outside of New Zealand before its ban.
A version of this story was first published on radionz.co.nz.
