Seeing both sides of the argument - nuclear-free New Zealand - NCEA Level 1 history

Use the feature Nuclear-free New Zealand and your own knowledge and ideas to help you complete the following activities. 

A. Policy adviser

It is late 1983. You are an adviser working for the New Zealand Labour Party. There is to be a general election in 1984, and one of the election issues will be whether or not New Zealand should allow visits by ships that are nuclear armed and/or nuclear-powered. The National government has allowed such visits from American ships, believing it to be part of our responsibilities as a member of ANZUS. American policy has been to 'neither confirm nor deny' the armament of their ships, and most allies choose not to ask. Public opinion in New Zealand has, however, increasingly turned in favour of banning these visits.

You have been asked to write a paper for the leader, David Lange, about the party's policy on nuclear ship visits. This paper will be presented to party officials to help them formally develop the Labour Party's policy on nuclear ship visits. While the party is opposed to nuclear propulsion and weapons, it is not necessarily opposed to the ANZUS alliance. A key consideration therefore is how a ban might affect New Zealand's relationship with the United States and what the ramifications will be for the ANZUS alliance.

Your task is to:

• outline what the Labour Party believes to be at least three advantages for New Zealand of introducing a ban on nuclear-armed and/or nuclear-powered ships visiting New Zealand waters
• outline what the Labour Party believes to be at least three disadvantages for New Zealand of introducing a ban on nuclear-armed and/or nuclear-powered ships visiting New Zealand waters
• advise party officials, in no more than 150 words, which argument to support and the reasons why you believe this action should be taken, i.e., to ban visits or not. Officials will be expecting you to give them answers to some potentially tricky questions from those who disagree, so consider this in your final advice.

B. Class Oxford Union debate

Organise your own Oxford Union debate in class on the decision to ban nuclear ship visits under the heading of '1985: the end of New Zealand's sense of security'.

C. Newspaper editorial

In an editorial you can express your own opinion as well as consider how people at the time might have felt.

Imagine you are the editor of a New Zealand newspaper in 1985. Write an editorial, of no more than 200 words, expressing your views on whether or not the decision to ban ship visits is a good thing for New Zealand.

Have a look at some editorials to get a sense of the style of writing.