Pavement (magazine)

Pavement was an Auckland-based New Zealand popular culture magazine founded by editor Bernard McDonald and art director Glenn Hunt and published from 1993-2007. After a highly successful 13-year run featuring strong sales throughout New Zealand and Australia, as well as New York City, London, Paris and Los Angeles, the magazine was closed following a decline in advertising revenue. The magazine was also known for occasionally contentious content that saw four issues submitted to New Zealand's Chief Censor for consideration.

History and profile
Pavement was started in 1993 with the aim of creating a magazine that would focus on contemporary culture from New Zealand and the rest of the world, with particular emphasis on emerging "stars" on the cutting edge of creativity, as well as youth culture and fascinating subcultures. It included articles on contemporary music, art, film, fashion, theatre, dance and design.

Notable people shot exclusively for the magazine's covers and content include Naomi Campbell, Paris Hilton, Johnny Depp, Oasis, Kylie Minogue, Kirsten Dunst, Angelina Jolie, Russell Crowe, Gisele Bündchen, Leonardo DiCaprio, Shalom Harlow, New Order, Peter Jackson, Shirley Manson, Cate Blanchett and many more.

While Pavement was primarily a New Zealand magazine, it made use of overseas stylists, models, writers and photographers, including Regan Cameron, Helmut Newton, Lionel Deluy, Terry Richardson and many more. The magazine photographed people not just in New Zealand but in London, New York City, Los Angeles, Paris, Sydney, Melbourne, among other places. The magazine was available in over 2000 outlets throughout New Zealand and Australia and a modest distribution in New York City, Los Angeles, Paris and London.

It had twice been awarded New Zealand Magazine of the Year and Editor of the Year, Designer of the Year and Advertising Executive of the Year.

The magazine had been reported to the New Zealand censorship board by members of the public four times. The first occasion was its "Raw Talent" issue, which included a spread of nudes entitled "In the Raw". The censor ruled over one picture by celebrated American photographer Terry Richardson of a Japanese prostitute dressed in a schoolgirl uniform, deeming the issue R16. Two further issues, one featuring a series of nudes shot by art photographers entitled "Au Natural" and the magazine's specially themed "69" issue, were submitted to the censor, although their content wasn't deemed offensive or requiring any restriction.

Closure, "special teen issue" and claims of impropriety
The magazine's second to last issue, published in October of 2006, caused some controversy. The issue (entitled the "special teen issue" and subtitled "Lost Youth") marked Pavement's 13th year of publication. It was criticised by ECPAT, a child advocacy group, who lodged a complaint with the censorship compliance unit, claiming that images of teenage girls and one 10-year-old were legally objectionable". The Chief censor at the time, Bill Hastings, felt there was a prima facie case to be answered, though no action was taken, clearing the publisher of any wrongdoing.

At the time, editor Bernard McDonald said there was "only one shoot I would consider mildly provocative" and stated that the model in question was a 19 year old woman. Alongside her pictures, shot by a woman photographer, was a short autobiographical essay the model wrote that made her age very clear. McDonald argued that the purportedly offending pictures of her were a celebration "of the idea and ideals" of being a teenager, with the so-called "provocative" images of Megan printed under the title 'Metamorphosis', with the pictures and essay simply celebrating "a teenager who has developed into a sexual being, on her own terms, as we all do". He also pointed out that the 10-year-old girl featured elsewhere in the issue was a profile story that had nothing to do with nudity or sexuality, the only connection being its inclusion in an issue that contained a small amount of topless nudity. "Jessica is not sexualised, just as Anna Paquin was not sexualised when she appeared in the very adult film The Piano," McDonald explained.

Although the issue was not banned in stores, the nationwide New Zealand bookstore chain Whitcoulls did not display it and only sold copies over the counter when requested by customers. The Office of Film and Literature Classification eventually restricted the "special teen issue" to persons 13 years of age and over, but at the time of classification the issue had sold out.

As a result of declining advertising revenue throughout 2006, the magazine was closed following the December 2006 issue (number 74) and the issue remained on newsstands until the end of March 2007.

In 2018, three women came forward with unsubstantiated claims of impropriety involving Pavement personnel, with the claims detailed in a report by fringe website The Spinoff. After reading the article, Bernard McDonald wrote a detailed letter to the publisher of the story, stating that he took "umbrage with the overarching subjective nature of the story" and "particular issue with the misleading way in which the story's bizarre narrative is pursued and the glaring lack of balance in the piece". In the extensive letter of complaint, which is no longer available for view on the site, he stated that no one at the magazine had used Pavement to be predatory towards young women and that "We used Pavement to promote exciting culture, discover and develop new talent, add excitement and energy to the times we were publishing in, and generally inspire everyone who worked on the magazine, advertised in its pages, or read it. And we did bloody well at it. Nothing you've run on your site will take that away from any of the hundreds, if not thousands, of people who helped make Pavement this country's "coolest" magazine."