NZ must be 'anti-nuke' all the time

New Zealand needs to be true to its nuclear-free policy, not timidly choosing when to speak out and cherry-picking which resolutions to support at the United Nations, said Green Party MP, Dr Kennedy Graham.

Last December, at the United Nations, New Zealand opposed resolution 63/75 calling for a treaty that would ban the use of nuclear weapons.

"It is a bizarre sight to see New Zealand, whose leaders from 1985 to 2009 continually reject the use of nuclear weapons for our defence, oppose, along with NATO countries, a call for a treaty that would prohibit their use," said Dr Graham.

"NATO countries rely on nuclear weapons. New Zealand does not. NATO believes that their retention of nuclear weapons keeps the peace. New Zealand does not. It is time that New Zealand acted consistently with its stated policy of rejecting nuclear deterrence and supported the UN call to ban the use of nuclear weapons."

This week, after questions from the Green Party, the Prime Minister confirmed to Parliament that his Government stood by the Lange Government’s renunciation of nuclear deterrence, both for itself and all other countries. Mr Key also confirmed that New Zealand supported all resolutions at the UN to that end.

"New Zealand governments, both Labour and National, have always claimed that New Zealand maintains an unblemished record with our nuclear-free policy. But in fact both have selectively chosen to support some calls and oppose others at the UN – all of which reflect the nuclear-free goals we espouse," said Dr Graham.

"It is good to have the Prime Minister explicitly reaffirm the strong rejection of nuclear deterrence that New Zealand first articulated in the 1980s.

"Mr Key will, however, need to issue new instructions to his Foreign Minister so that his Government can live up to his high standards of consistency on nuclear disarmament."