L.I: To learn how to seach and unravel the past/history of New Zealand
Many New Zealand residents understood that the US has a lot of nuclear weapons and also uses nuclear power in some of its warships. As part of the ANZUS alliance the US planned to send its warships to New Zealand harbours for visits.
Fast forward 20 years and many New Zealanders are opposed to having nuclear warships in our harbours as it poses a hazard to the residence as nuclear reactors can contaminate the water and cause massive damage to the environment and numerous other safety hazards.
Following this statement a man named George Armstrong organised a peace squadron to intercept the USS Haddo from entering Waitemata harbour, the squadron consisted of kayaks, boats, dinghies, and other water vessels.
Following the end of world war , France tested their nuclear weapons in the pacific ocean causing an uproar amongst New Zealand citizens as they believe it will cause environmental damage. Due to people getting angry that the French government is testing nuclear weapons in the Pacific, Prime Minister Norman Kirk sent a Navy ship, Otago, to Mururoa to protest against the French nuclear testing. In that ship was a television crew and all the images of the test were shown to people all around the world.
Soon after the french government stopped testing their weapons in the pacific and decided to test them underground. Due to the previous two incidents the New Zealand people were outraged and they joined a nuclear free movement symbolically declaring their schools, towns, clubs and facilities ‘Nuclear Free’ because of this, the nuclear free campaign was born.
A debate about whether New Zealand should be ‘Nuclear Free’ took place in Parliament. Marilyn Waring, a Government MP,’crossed the floor’ to vote with the Opposition who support a ‘Nuclear Free’ New Zealand. This caused the Prime Minister, Robert Muldoon, to call a ‘snap election’.
David Lange campaigns on a policy that New Zealand will become ‘Nuclear Free’. His party won the election, he became Prime Minister, and New Zealand became the first country in the world to declare itself ‘Nuclear Free’.
I found this activity interesting as it helps others understand that incidents that happened during this time.