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Hon Jim Anderton
Progressive Leader

Media Statement

It was 20 years ago today...

Progressive Party leader Jim Anderton said he was proud to have been an MP who voted for the passing of New Zealand's nuclear-free legislation.

He told Parliament during a debate marking the 20th anniversary of the passing of that legislation that he was proud of having fought for the policy inside Parliament, and earlier, inside the Labour Party and on New Zealand's streets and harbours.

"I believe our confidence in the law's success has been vindicated.

"Many people all over the world, including governments, recognise New Zealand for standing firm for the values of peace and a safer world inherent in our anti-nuclear stance."

Jim Anderton said that for all its popularity today, the law was not easily won.

He said there was unhappiness from many New Zealanders, from other countries, and even within the Labour Party that put the anti-nuclear legislation forward. He was Labour Party president when Labour became Government in 1984 and had been criticised for saying at the time it would pass as a matter of priority for the new government.

"Many years later, we have put aside the struggles of those days, and I welcome that."

He said that when the law was passed 20 years ago, he told Parliament that the passage of the law was the culmination of years of commitment, an intelligent analysis of the issues involved, and of courage on the part of thousands of New Zealanders who had protested against nuclear weapons from the time they were first used at Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

"I said the bill was a tribute to all those New Zealanders who were loyal to the nation in their dissent. And I continue to believe it stands as a tribute today.

"New Zealand stands as a symbol of sanity. Our nuclear-free law is the best we can offer the world... I celebrate our nuclear-free law as the most profound contribution we can make to a more peaceful world."

Mr Anderton said the passage of the nuclear-free bill was a statement of New Zealand's determination as a country to commit to the future of our planet and everyone and everything that lived on it.

"Our commitment to accepting the challenge of climate change is motivated by a comparable ideal and we need equally far-sighted solutions."

ENDS

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