Public vote on nuclear ships possible under NZ First

Dail Jones

New Zealand First is against changing the anti-nuclear policy but may support a referendum because of its direct democracy policy promoting "people power".

That could open the door to National getting some traction in trying to alter New Zealand's nuclear-free legislation if it leads the next Government.

NZ First's foreign affairs spokesman, Dail Jones, told the Herald the importance of nuclear policy was "absolutely" the kind of issue which the public should have a say on. "That is one of the issues of the day."

But he has stopped short of supporting National's nuclear position, with NZ First's manifesto clear that it is strongly committed to the present law.

"We do not support any policy that would allow nuclear ships or weapons into New Zealand," Mr Jones said.

But he conceded that the party's strong belief in referendums meant that if it became clear the public wanted a vote on the issue, NZ First would find that difficult to oppose.

National has said it will change New Zealand's nuclear policy only to lift the ban on nuclear-propelled ships, while maintaining the ban on nuclear weapons, with a clear public mandate.

It has ruled out heading into this election with a policy change in its manifesto but has not ruled out a future referendum, a position which has exposed it to attacks from Labour that it has a secret agenda to change the law.

NZ First has long promised greater use of binding public referendums, which can be set up in two ways.

The first would be to get 10 per cent of voters, around 310,000, to support a petition calling for a referendum.

The second is for a majority of Parliament to vote for a referendum by supporting either a Government or private member's bill.

It is not clear what NZ First's position would be if it had to choose between blocking a referendum on changing a policy it supports, or voting in Parliament to support the public's being asked their view.

But Mr Jones indicated National would have to do more than simply approach it with the results of its own internal review on the policy, by suggesting its findings were "wishy washy".

The review had supported Denmark's approach. It has a policy, not legislative, ban on nuclear warships. The United States sends conventional ships into its waters.

The US has changed its nuclear warships policy since 1987, when New Zealand introduced a law banning both nuclear-armed and nuclear-powered ship visits.

In 1992 the US Government publicly said it was removing nuclear weapons from its surface ships and attack submarines.

But reports from Japan this week, as it remembers the Nagasaki and Hiroshima attacks, indicate the US is considering replacing non-nuclear warships based there with new nuclear-propelled carriers, a policy expected to cause much controversy.