New Zealand has a tradition of commitment to the concept of collective security. It was a member of the League of Nations between the world wars and was active in the establishment of the United Nations in June 1945.
The sinking of the Greenpeace protest ship Rainbow Warrior in Auckland in July 1985 shocked the nation. The incident galvanised an anti-nuclear movement that had emerged in opposition to both French nuclear tests at Mururoa and American warship visits to New Zealand.
David Lange speaks at the televised Oxford Union debate in 1985. He successfully argued the proposition that 'nuclear weapons are morally indefensible'.
Between the late 1940s and early 1970s New Zealanders fought in conflicts in Korea, Malaya, Borneo and Vietnam. These conflicts were part of the Cold War waged between the world's 'superpowers' - the United States and the Soviet Union.
Labour leader David Lange had tried to work with the Americans, but their 'neither confirm nor deny' policy made a middle ground virtually impossible to find.
In 1950 the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution to adopt 10 December as Human Rights Day. New Zealand has participated actively in human rights deliberations at the Assembly, with a particular emphasis on the rights of women, children and indigenous people.
This case study examines New Zealand's involvement in the nuclear debate of the 1970s and 1980s, culminating in a breakdown of the ANZUS alliance in 1985.
This case study examines New Zealand's involvement in the nuclear debate of the 1970s and 1980s, culminating in a breakdown of the ANZUS alliance in 1985. With particular emphasis on French nuclear testing in the Pacific and the nuclear ships row, this case study will provide teachers with: Most of the activities can be completed with reference to the feature Nuclear Free New Zealand.
