National Consultative Committee on Disarmament
Media Release

NZ General Election 2008: Political Party Positions on Disarmament

22 October 2008

A questionnaire survey of major political parties contesting this year’s general election, conducted by the National Consultative Committee on Disarmament, has revealed substantial consensus on disarmament issues.

Returns from a 12 question survey supplied by National, Labour, the Greens, United Future, the Progressives and the Alliance saw all supporting New Zealand’s swift ratification of the recently concluded Convention banning cluster munitions.

All supported New Zealand’s efforts at the UN General Assembly to have nuclear weapons removed from alert status; a treaty to control the transfer of small arms; a Convention to abolish nuclear weapons; and withdrawal of superannuation funds from firms clearly involved in the manufacture of nuclear weapons.

No party opposed New Zealand fostering a Southern Hemisphere nuclear weapons free zone.

National, however, was alone in opposing additional resources going to the division in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs responsible for promoting and fostering disarmament.

ENDS

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