If you are on this page, chances are high that you are a member of the Explore New Zealand Facebook group and may have had a post or comment declined.
Explore New Zealand is viewed by over 3 million people monthly (stats can be viewed at the bottom of this page), so it is important that we keep our standards high and ensure members follow posting guidelines.
Our goal is to keep it a positive place to discover more about our beautiful country or help with your travel planning. As the group grew, we had to establish some Explore New Zealand rules, many of which were voted on by the group back in its infancy.
If your question is regarding common New Zealand travel FAQs, check out: Explore New Zealand Travel FAQs Answered: Insider Insights
Why was my post declined? [Hide][Show]
Quick reference – Why was my post or comment declined?
Explore New Zealand is made up of both photo and text posts, and before we outline what we are looking for from each, we thought we would give you this quick reference. If your post or comment was denied, don’t get mad, but rather understand why and make the quick edit to get it approved.
When posting, please limit your posts to two per day maximum, but you can comment as much as you like. And remember, no links (except from the admin team).
Posts and comments that are generally approved
- Photos of New Zealand shot by you
- Travel-related questions in plain text
- Friendly banter
- Both English and Māori names for places, whether current or past usage
Posts and comments that are generally or automatically declined
- Photos and videos that are shared from other sources (another page or from social media), not in focus or shaky, not of NZ, or selfies
- Photos taken from Google, generated by AI, or not shot by yourself
- More than five photos in a post
- Promotional or self-promotional material
- Your question has already been asked
- Bullying, hate speech, or name-calling people or places
- Inappropriate language
- Anything political, from mentioning the politicians to contentious issues.
- Photos of places off-limits either by DOC or rāhui
- Negative comments to others about their use of English or Māori names for places.
- If your edit violates a rule (usually too many photos)
- Telling an admin or moderator to F-off either directly or implied (this will also get you banned from the group)
Who can post or comment on Explore New Zealand?
Per the suggestion of Facebook for larger groups, in order to be approved to post or comment in Explore New Zealand:
- Your Facebook account is more than three months old and has a profile picture.
- You have answered the participation question with a reasonable response, so we know you are not a bot.
- The post is coming from your personal profile (not a page, group, or digital creator account).
- You have agreed to the rules.
- You are not currently suspended for rule violations.
What should my photo post on Explore New Zealand look like?
As photographers ourselves, we love seeing your photos of New Zealand. Here’s what your photo post should look like:
- Photos or videos must be shot in New Zealand by YOU. We do not allow reposting or sharing of other people’s photos.
- The subject should be New Zealand – this includes landscapes, architecture, points of interest, animals, tourist spots, and pretty much anything that makes our country special to you.
- People can be in the photo/video if the main focus is New Zealand.
- Photos/videos should be in the proper aspect (not sideways), in focus, and not shaky if video.
- All images in a single post must be seen by the moderators for the post to be approved. Therefore, there can be up to 5 images in a single post. If you see the “+” on the last image, either reduce the number of images or make multiple posts.
- There must be a caption. It will either tell us where the photo was taken, what it is in the case of a bird or similar or ask where it is in New Zealand. Feel free to play the #whereinNewZealandChallenge game, but be sure to come back after not more than 24 hours and edit the post to include the location.
- Be sure your photo can be identified if you are playing the #whereinNewZealandChallenge game (sorry, no beaches without unique features or feet wading in the water).
What should my travel question look like?
As people who both live in New Zealand and travel the country, we love questions. They help you and us find new and exciting things to see or do, easier ways to do them, and clarify details. Here’s what your question post should look like:
- Travel-related questions must be in plain text.
- If it is a question about something you have not done yet, there should be NO photo attached, as photos must be shot by you. However, you can attach a photo if your question is related to the photo. For instance, “We saw this penguin in Otago; where else can I see penguins in New Zealand?”
- Ask travel-related questions that can have multiple opinions. If you are looking for a fact (laws, immigration, visas, etc), always use official channels. This information changes often, and you don’t want to get it from a blogger or group member who may not know the latest facts. Here are some places to start:
Why were comments closed on my post?
This could be one of several reasons:
- If you played the ‘Where in NZ’ game and did not come back with an answer within 24 hours.
- When you post more than one image at a time, we only allow comments on the main post.
- Facebook recommends (and we do this) automatically turning off comments if there are too many in an hour, as this more often is an indicator of trouble.
- If there are too many contentious comments, sometimes the moderation team feels the only solution is to turn off comments.
FAQ
I believe these are the most common questions the admin team is asked.
- Why did you remove my negative comments? Am I entitled to an opinion?
We are a friendly group, and kindness goes a long way. Our goal is to present a positive view of New Zealand. Negative comments about personal experiences are occasionally allowed, but we do not allow any form of bullying or denigrating of our members, NZ cities, or venues, especially as these often lead to shockingly unpleasant discussions. For example, we can’t call somewhere we don’t like a “sh*t hole” (nor would we allow this anyway as we are G rated). - If I didn’t break any rules, why was my comment deleted?
Sometimes, a comment gets caught in a thread of nastiness where the entire thread is removed, including the few comments that were fine. Also, if your comment directly responds to a comment that we had to remove and no longer makes sense as a stand-alone, it may be removed. - Why can’t I share my business, blog, vlog, another Facebook group, Instagram, TikTok or other social media?
Sorry, this falls in the NOT allowed category of self-promotion. We do not allow any links except from the moderation team. We also don’t allow reference to or identification of social media accounts. This includes no sharing of videos from Instagram or TikTok. - Did I get banned from the group just because I called you a $%^& in a private message?
Yes, that will do it.
Current Explore New Zealand Facebook group stats
Honestly, we are super excited to share our current stats with you.
Over 3 million people viewed our group in the last 28 days
Engagement in the last 28 days
For more on New Zealand, start here: New Zealand Road Trips: Itineraries for North or South Island Adventures, or you might like …
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