Nuclear Free versus Nuclear Weapons

In 1984 the New Zealand government began demanding foreign ships within the 12 mile exclusive zone, to state whether or not they were nuclear powered or had nuclear weapons on board. The first US Naval vessel to be denied entry to NZ ports was the USS Buchanan in 1985 because it had nuclear warheads on its bombs.

By 1986 a nationwide poll indicated that over 90% of NZ citizens wanted NZ to become nuclear free and so in 1987, the Labour government (Labour being the left wing) passed a law claiming New Zealand to be a nuclear free country. The law specified that ships could not enter the 12 mile exclusive zone unless they proved that the vessel was not powered by a nuclear reactor AND that there were no nuclear weapons on board.

This effectively meant that US military and naval vessels were no longer permitted to enter NZ ports unless they specifically stated that the ship was NOT powered by a nuclear reactor AND did not have nuclear weapons on board. Since the USA had a policy of neither confirming or denying, this effectively meant that ALL US military vessels were banned from NZ ports.

As a direct result of New Zealand's law change, the USA stopped treating NZ as an ally and now ignores NZ in all military and defence policies and situations. The USA has continued to pressure the NZ government into repealing (or cancelling) their nuclear free law. NZ refuses to do so - and we have the right to remain nuclear free. This is how the USA treats any country that passes laws that go against US domestic or foreign policy.

NZ has now been a nuclear free country for over 20 years. This policy has benefited NZ as it contributes in a major way to New Zealands world wide image of being a clean green and safe country.

Picture Source - Copyright to The Peace Foundation

The US government was not happy with New Zealand's law change at all. They were very upset that one small country chose to take a stance opposing US foreign policy.

Prior to this law being passed, New Zealand, Australia and USA has all been signatories to the ANZUS treaty. This treaty mostly allowed for the 3 countries to conduct military exercises together and to receive military and other intelligence from the USA. After this law was passed, the USA refused to continue honouring its ANZUS treaty obligations to NZ - but NZ has never formally withdrawn from the treaty. NZ was also downgraded from an ally of the USA to just a friendly country. The military combined exercises stopped and the intelligence gathering dried up.

As a result of its nuclear free status, New Zealand will never have a nuclear meltdown accident. Unlike other countries - USA, Russia and Japan - which have ALL had major nuclear accidents. (3 Mile Island, Pennsylvania in 1979, Chernobyl, Ukraine in 1986 and Sendai Prefecture, Japan in 2011). Admittedly the last was caused by a large earthquake but still, the reactor construction should have been done to a MUCH higher standard.

Just remember there is only ONE country in the entire history of this planet who has ACTUALLY DROPPED 2 nuclear bombs on an enemy. And it was not done to stop any war. It was done purely as a show of power. Japan was already in the process of surrendering.

Since the end of WW2, USA has continued to test nuclear weapons. They even tested nuclear bombs in the Australian desert and have refused to pay out any monetary compensation for illnesses and birth defects that have occurred as a direct consequence. This is how the USA treats its allies.

The USA constantly goes on and on about how the world should be a nuclear weapon free planet. BUT until the USA actually and physically destroys its entire nuclear weapon stockpile, then none of the other countries with nuclear weapons (Russia, France, Israel, China, India, North Korea, Pakistan and possibly the UK) will feel safe enough to destroy their stockpiles as well.

Picture Source - CS Monitor Newspaper - March 2010 - see link in last Paragraph above

In 1985 France was deep into its nuclear testing program at Mururoa Atoll in the French Polynesia Islands of the Pacific. Many New Zealanders were taking boats and sailing to the atoll to protest against the tests.

One of the ships that was planning to sail to Mururoa was the Rainbow Warrior - which was owned by the environmental group Greenpeace.

The boat was tied up to a wharf at the Ports of Auckland in New Zealand. On 10 July 1985, 2 bombs ripped through the hull of the Rainbow Warrior sinking it. All but one of the crew managed to get off the boat safely before it sank. The bombing was eventually traced to members of the French Secret Service. At first France denied that it had had anything to do with the bombing. Eventually when confronted with all the evidence, the French Government admitted that it had given the orders.

This bombing on New Zealand soil was a major catalyst to changing peoples minds about nuclear testing. In 1986 a national poll was conducted and the numbers had shown a marked increase from 60% to over 90% of citizens now in agreement about NZ going nuclear free.

Picture Source - Greenpeace - Rainbow Warrior - 1985