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New Zealand is ranked seventh in the world for press freedom by an international media organisation.
New Zealand and Canada were the only countries outside Europe in the top 20 of the 173 countries listed by the Paris-based organisation, Reporters Without Borders.
New Zealand shared seventh with Belgium, Latvia, Slovakia, Sweden and Switzerland on the annual list, released this week.
Two years ago New Zealand was 19th and last year 15th.
The list was headed by Iceland, Luxembourg and Norway, all equal first. Estonia, Finland and Ireland shared fourth.
Canada was 14th , Australia 28th place, the United Kingdom 23rd and the United States 36th.
Eritrea was last, ahead of North Korea.
Military-controlled Fiji was listed at 79, an improvement from its ranking of 107 last year, Tonga 82 compared to 119 last year, and East Timor 65, up from 94 last year.
The report said the end of Australian prime minister John Howard's reign was marked by a growing battle with the press.
"During the legislative election campaign, the Australia's Right to Know coalition showed that a lot of news and information was not accessible to the press and public and that this right was obstructed by at least 1500 legal decrees and rulings."
The report also took aim at Australia's anti-terror laws, which it described as "simply outrageous".
"A journalist who might interview a person suspected of terrorism, is at risk of up to five years in jail," it said.
"Journalists reporting on these cases can be arrested by police, particularly if they publicly reveal the names of suspects."
The report said there was a lack of rights for journalists to protect sources.
"Two journalists working for The West Australian in Perth were threatened with prison unless they revealed how they had obtained a confidential report of an anti-corruption commission which the newspaper had used to point the finger at a political figure," it said.
Reporters Without Borders said it was not economic prosperity but peace that guaranteed press freedom.
- NZPA
