New Zealand has a long history of promoting nuclear disarmament and opposing nuclear testing. Since 1987 it has had national nuclear-free legislation that prohibits nuclear weapons from the country along with nuclear-powered vessels and various other prohibitions relating to nuclear weaponry (see the references below for more details).

Many surveys indicate that the law is strongly supported by the public. Seven political parties in the Parliament support the nuclear-free legislation and only one small right-wing party does not (as of 2007).

Although the ban on nuclear ship visits triggered United States Government displeasure at the time, there is no evidence that it had adversely affected trade (based on comparisons with US-Australia trade for the same period).

New Zealand was an active participant in the World Court Project (both politicians and NGO's). The country is a signatory of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and has signed and ratified the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. There are no nuclear reactors in the country and most of the country's electricity is generated from renewable energy (particularly hydro power but with a rapidly growing wind energy sector).

New Zealand also has a designated Minister of Disarmament (possibly still the only such country to do so).

Despite this record, a criticism of successive New Zealand Governments has been their apparent lack of enthusiasm for promoting the nuclear free legislation as a model for other countries to follow. The reasons for this may relate to New Zealand politicians wanting to avoid offending the governments of nuclear weapon states (eg, to facilitate free-trade agreements). Furthermore, the New Zealand Government has come under recent criticism for having a superannuation fund that invests public money in companies that are connected with nuclear weapons production. Such investment was (in 2007) undergoing review.

Relevant literature:

NZ Herald. NZ Super Fund invested in nuclear bombs making - Greens. NZ Herald; 2007 (9 February).

Reitzig A. In defiance of nuclear deterrence: anti-nuclear New Zealand after two decades. Medicine Conflict & Survival. 2006 Apr-Jun;22(2):132-44.

Ware A, Dewes K, Powles M. "Snaring the Sun: Opportunities to Prevent Nuclear Weapons Proliferation and Advance Nuclear Disarmament Through an Abolition Framework". Peace Foundation Disarmament and Security Centre, 2005.

Wilson N, Thomson G. Talking health, doing harm: New Zealand Government investment in industries that kill. N Z Medical Journal. 2007 March 2;120(1250):U2452.

Wilson N, Mansoor OD. Lange's legacy: a strong nuclear-free law in New Zealand. Medicine Conflict & Survival. 2006 Jan-Mar;22(1):83-4.

Wilson N. The Value of National Nuclear Free Law: The New Zealand Example. Wellington: IPPNW(NZ), 2005.