Asia Pacific Report

A former Minister and current opposition Labour Party MP has paid tribute to the Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific (NFIP) movement.

Hon. Phil Twyford, Member of Parliament for Te Atatu and spokesperson on disarmament, said Aotearoa New Zealand must maintain its own independence, embrace stronger regionalism, and be a “voice for peace and de-militarisation”.

Speaking at the opening of the week-long “Legends of the Pacific: Stories of a Nuclear-Free Moana 1975-1995” exhibition at the Ellen Melville Centre, Twyford referred to the 40th anniversary of the Rainbow Warrior bombing by French secret agents on 10 July 2025.

“Much has been made in the years since of what a turning point this was, and how it crystallised in New Zealanders a commitment to the anti-nuclear cause,” he said.

However, he said he wanted to talk about the “bigger regional phenomenon” that shaped activism, public attitudes and official policies across the region, and what it could “teach us today about New Zealand’s place in the world”.

“I am talking about the Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific movement.”

Legends of the Pacific: Stories of a Nuclear-Free Moana 1975-1995 exhibition
Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific
Where: Ellen Melville Centre, 2 Freyberg Place, Paddy Walker Room, Auckland Central
When: Daily, 10am to 4pm, until Friday 18 July 2025

Full news report: https://asiapacificreport.nz/2025/07/12/twyford-praises-nfip-lead-calls-for-inspired-peace-and-regionalism/

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