Business · Companies · 3 hrs ago
Kiwibank faces free speech criticism over sheep mascot memes
Kiwibank, a state-owned bank in New Zealand, introduced a green-wool sheep named Buck in an advertising campaign in 2026.
Some users on X posted memes about the mascot, including explicit content.
The bank sent copyright takedown requests that removed Buck’s image from some posts.
Users posted more memes, and the original post drew more than four million views.
The backlash is an example of the “Streisand effect,” when efforts to suppress something attract greater attention.
Kiwibank said it acted because it considered the content harmful, while New Zealand’s Free Speech Union accused it of censorship.
The dispute raises questions about how copyright should be used when a company objects to online speech.
Kiwibank faces criticism from New Zealand’s Free Speech Union after seeking to remove social media posts featuring explicit memes about its sheep mascot, Buck.
The state-owned bank said it acted because the posts used Buck’s image in explicit and harmful content.
The union accused the bank of censorship, arguing that copyright should not be used to remove speech a company dislikes.
After the takedown requests, users posted more memes, and the original post drew more than four million views.
Commentators described the response as an example of the “Streisand effect,” in which attempts to suppress something draw greater attention to it.
- Who
- Kiwibank and New Zealand’s Free Speech Union are at the centre of the dispute.
- What
- The bank sent takedown requests targeting explicit memes about its sheep mascot, prompting criticism that it was censoring speech.
- When
- The mascot was unveiled in 2026. The article was published on October 12, 2026.
- Where
- The dispute unfolded on social media platform X and involved Kiwibank in New Zealand.
- Why
- Kiwibank said it wanted to address explicit and harmful content using Buck’s image. The Free Speech Union said copyright should not be used to remove speech a company dislikes.
Kiwibank
New Zealand’s Free Speech Union
Reason for action
Kiwibank
The bank said the content was explicit and harmful and that doing nothing was not the right response.
New Zealand’s Free Speech Union
The union said copyright does not protect a brand from being laughed at and called the takedowns censorship.
Use of copyright
Kiwibank
Kiwibank used copyright-owner reports to seek removal of Buck’s image from posts.
New Zealand’s Free Speech Union
The union argued that copyright protects creative work from copying, not a company from unwanted speech.
Our concern was a serious one, and we believed it was important to address it
We felt doing nothing wasn’t the right thing to do because of the harmful content.
Using copyright to remove speech a company dislikes is censorship, even when the subject is a sheep.
Kiwibank unveiled Buck, a sheep mascot, in an advertising campaign urging consumers to “bank Kiwi”.
Viral posts on X alluded to Buck’s looks and stereotypes about New Zealanders.
Kiwibank sent takedown requests, and users responded by posting dozens more.
The original post had garnered more than four million views, and the Free Speech Union had accused the bank of censorship.
- Mascot
- Buck, a sheep with green wool
- Owner
- Kiwibank, a state-owned bank in New Zealand
- Launch year
- 2026
- Platform
- X
- Original post views
- More than four million
- Sheep-to-person ratio
- 4.5 to 1 in New Zealand as of 2025
Sources
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