A survey of 4,000 New Zealanders found 51 percent regularly downloaded movies, but 87 percent of those did not pay for them, the Christchurch-based The Press newspaper reported.
Only 40 percent of respondents were opposed to illegal downloads, said the report.
Paul Scantlebury, managing director of movie website flicks.co. nz, one of the survey organizers, told the newspaper he was surprised by the number of people illegally downloading films.
He said people turned to the Internet because movies were shown in New Zealand much later than the rest of the world.
"Everyone is online and knows a movie is out and is good, but often it will be out on DVD in the U.S. before it is out in the cinema here," he said.
"iTunes is not really much better. The legal way of doing this is not very good.
"If there was a viable, legal and local option, people would use it. It is sad because people are forming habits and learning new ways to access movies."
However, Motion Picture Distributors` Association chairman Robert Crockett told the newspaper that illegal downloads could damage an industry that sustained 22,000 New Zealand jobs. "This highlights the issue that there is illegal downloading and we need to do something about it as a creative industry," he said.
"I think most people want to do the right thing if they know that what they are doing is illegal and has a cost locally, he said.
(U.KR-IFB/M016)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
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