Land sold to British nuclear weapons / prisons corporation

3 August 2012

According to the NZ Herald, the Overseas Investment Office has given permission for the sale of land in South Auckland to SecureFuture Wiri, the consortium that will build and run the private Wiri prison. SecureFuture Wiri is 40 per cent owned by Britain's Serco Group, 30 per cent owned by Britain's John Laing Investments and 30 per cent owned by New Zealand's Accident Compensation Corporation (!).

As well as the other issues around this, it seems the New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament, and Arms Control Act 1987 was not taken into account when this decision was made - Serco is a one-third shareholder (along with Lockheed Martin and Jacobs Engineering Group) in AWE Management Limited (AWE ML), the consortium that manages the atomic weapons establishments which design, manufacture and maintain Britain's nuclear warheads. In addition, AWE ML has recently been awarded the contract to run the submarine bases where Britain's nuclear arsenal is deployed ( see, for example, 'Trident bases to be run by private companies: MoD signs contracts putting companies in charge of 'day-to-day running' of nuclear missile submarine bases' at http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/jul/30/trident-bases-run-private-companies).

Background information on Serco's involvement in the NZ government's private prison programme, in nuclear weapons and its appalling human rights record in relation to places of detention is available at http://www.facebook.com/notes/peace-movement-aotearoa/john-key-looking-into-serco-prison-contract/224731174240926

If you would like to let the Prime Minister know what you think about this, letters can be emailed to j.key@ministers.govt.nz or posted to Freepost Parliament, Private Bag 18-888, Parliament Buildings, Wellington 6160 (no stamp required if you are writing as an individual, but a stamp is required if you are writing on behalf of an organisation).

It is really helpful for our work on Serco and the NZ government's dealings with nuclear weapons companies if you can email us a copy of any letter you send and of any reply your receive - by email to icanz@xtra.co.nz or by post to iCAN Aotearoa New Zealand, c/o Peace Movement Aotearoa, PO Box 9314, Wellington 6141, thank you.

ENDS

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