Hon Phil Goff
Minister for Disarmament and Arms Control

07 June 2007
Media statement

20th Anniversary of NZ Nuclear Free Legislation

“Twenty years on, New Zealand can celebrate its nuclear free legislation as having marked out internationally its clear commitment to a world free of nuclear weapons”, says Disarmament and Arms Control Minister, Phil Goff.

“But we cannot yet celebrate the achievement of that goal. Proliferation of states with nuclear weapons, and an estimated 27,000 nuclear warheads which are still in existence, indicate we still have a long way to go to rid the world of the threat of nuclear devastation”, he said.

New Zealand passed the New Zealand Nuclear Weapon Free Zone, Disarmament and Arms Control Act on 8 June 1987.

“New Zealanders can be proud of our country’s activist stance and its role as a good international citizen in regard to disarmament and non-proliferation.

“Introduced by the Fourth Labour Government, the legislation represents a deeply engrained part of our New Zealand identity. It reflects not only the strong opposition by most New Zealanders to weapons of mass destruction. It also reflects the view that even as a small country we can and should show leadership in articulating our values to the world as an independent nation,” Mr Goff said

“The threat to the world of nuclear weapons grows as more countries acquire possession of them. New Zealand strongly opposes proliferation and participates actively in moves designed to prevent it.

“But we also insist that nuclear weapons states fulfil their side of the bargain under the Non-Proliferation Treaty by moving collectively to eliminate existing weapons stocks.

“With each of the 27,000 existing nuclear warheads having between 8 and 40 times the destructive force of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, the world possesses the ability to wipe out humanity several times over.

“And a new nightmare scenario now exists post 9/11, with terrorist groups actively seeking to acquire weapons of mass destruction.

“With the world having lived with nuclear weapons for over sixty years, a key challenge today is international complacency about the threat they pose.

“The warning of Albert Einstein however remains relevant. ‘The unleashed power of the atom has changed everything save our modes of thinking and we thus drift towards unparalleled catastrophe.’

“On the twentieth anniversary of our nuclear free legislation, we urge the world to consider that warning and to commit themselves to making progress this year on both disarmament and non-proliferation initiatives”, Mr Goff said.

ENDS

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