Keep NZ nuclear free

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Opinion

Re: Aukus, Gaza on agenda plus Full-scale war ‘now a real possibility’  — April 13 articles.

No mention here of the 1984-1990 Labour government’s South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone law. Yet Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters slammed previous Labour prime minister Helen Clark for saying, “New Zealand has worked carefully on a bipartisan basis for decades to balance its economic interests, democratic values, and nuclear-free and independent foreign policy.”

She also said politicians needed to keep their nerve and not be “drawn into geopolitical games driven from elsewhere”.

Helen Clark has experience as head of the UN Development Programme from 2009 to 2016.

A single nuclear weapon can destroy a city and kill most of its people. Several nuclear explosions over modern cities would kill tens of millions of people.

Labour passed the NZ Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament, and Arms Control Act in 1987, during David Lange’s term as prime minister. The US Congress retaliated with the Broomfield Act, downgrading New Zealand’s status from ally to friend.

Even National signed up for anti-nuclearism.

On March 1, 2024 — Nuclear-Free And Independent Pacific Day — New Zealand again pledged our support to continue the struggle for a nuclear-free and independent Pacific.

In the Full-scale war ‘now a real possibility’ article, Matthew Hooten said New Zealand needed to “follow suit” with allies and increase defence spending.

I agree with Helen Clark, who criticises Winton Peters for engaging so closely with the US, and add here that our nuclear-free Pacific policy has already excluded us as an ally. We are only a friend —and let’s keep it that way.

Re: Aotearoa in middle of seismic foreign policy shift, by Audrey Young published the same day.

The joint statement by our Foreign Minister and the US Secretary of State “virtually signed up New Zealand to Pillar Two of Aukus”.

How can that be, without the public knowing and without a Cabinet agreement?

Finally, thank heaven for former Labour PM Helen Clark, for expressing strong concerns on this most important matter.

Remember, more recently then PM Jacinda Ardern announced that Australia’s new submarines would be banned from entering our long-standing nuclear-free zone.

Please readers, unite to keep our region nuclear free.

Bob Hughes