“Auckland Peace Action is opposed to New Zealand joining AUKUS or strengthening ties with NATO. Both military alliances are dangerous for us and for our region” says spokesperson Eliana Darroch.

“The central part of AUKUS is a new fleet of Australian nuclear subs. This is incredibly irresponsible. We need to de-escalate and de-militarise our South Pacific region. New Zealand should have nothing to do with this.”

“Pacific leaders are opposed to AUKUS and we should be listening to them, not signing up to deadly nuclear cold war alliances.”

“At the same time, NZ is also ramping up involvement in NATO, a military alliance based in the North Atlantic. Once again, there is no reason NZ should be involved. It is a dangerous and irresponsible pathway towards global nuclear war. We want no part of it.”

Auckland Peace Action stands in solidarity with our Pacific nation neighbors in opposing the expansion of AUKUS and NATO and strongly condemn the idea of New Zealand joining a nuclear weapons pact.

“Our nuclear free status was hard fought for and proudly won. Everyone knows we are a nuclear free country. Signing up to one part of AUKUS is joining a nuclear arms alliance by selectively ignoring what the fundamental basis of this pact is and playing fast and loose with the truth.”

“The motivation for these military alliances is driven by weapons dealers. The AUKUS deal is worth $368 billion. It is fuelled by fear mongering. It is not the kind of smart and thoughtful security policy that New Zealanders want and need.”

“This is why we are calling for more transparency and regulation around lobbying for defense weapons contracts. Arms dealers are motivated to find more buyers and hawk their weapon wares in the Pacific, along with expanding the militarised space industry which ex-Minister Stewart Nash established.”

“Weapons company lobbying is effectively being done by the governments of the US, Australia and the UK. We would like to know what lobbying is occurring, by whom and for what reason.”

“We are deeply concerned at how the US, UK and Australia seem to be pushing New Zealand away from our principled and peaceable independent foreign policy positioning, toward a grim and murky future with NATO or AUKUS. It contravenes our nation’s interests and diplomatic capacities to be shackled to those arrangements, maintaining peace and independence is integral.”

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