KEY POINTS:
Actor Temuera Morrison is being used as the face of a nationwide campaign against film and television piracy.
Secondary schools throughout New Zealand have been sent movie posters featuring Morrison for their classrooms as part of a campaign launched in Auckland today.
The posters show Morrison appealing to school children to do their part by only buying legitimate copies of their favourite films.
The 4000 posters recommend students "Buy Original; See Original" and have been distributed to over 2700 secondary schools across the country.
The campaign is the initiative of the New Zealand Federation Against Copyright Theft, supported by the Ministry of Education.
Ministry of Education Group Manager Schooling Implementation Kevin Wilson said schools were an ideal place to remind students of their legal obligation not to download or copy movies.
"Having Jake the Muss promote the message is a real plus."
New Zealand Federation Against Copyright Theft executive director Tony Eaton said piracy cost New Zealand's film industry over $70.8 million in lost revenue each year.
"It has never been more urgent that the younger generation understand the moral and commercial value of creative copyright.
"Our students are the filmmakers and creators of tomorrow, and it is important that we all join together to ensure the film and television community survives to provide jobs for them in the future."
Last month an Auckland man, Frederick Junior Higgins, was sentenced to 300 hours of community work for stealing a copy of the hit New Zealand movie Sione's Wedding before it was released.
- NZPA
