From nuclear weapons-free NZ to a nuclear weapons-free world
iCAN Aotearoa New Zealand
16 August 2011
Join the call for action to abolish nuclear weapons! The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons Aotearoa New
Zealand (iCAN-ANZ) invites you to add your voice to the call for a nuclear weapons-free world by signing the new
petition to parliament. The text of the petition is included below and the petition form is available at
http://www.icanw.org.nz
iCAN-ANZ is currently fundraising to publish a copy of the petition in national newspapers to publicise the campaign and
its objective - a nuclear weapons-free world, and for the NZ government to take action to achieve this - information
about this proposal is also included below.
Petition: Call for action to abolish nuclear weapons
"To the House of Representatives:
Since the detonation of the first atomic bomb in July 1945, the threat of use of nuclear weapons has cast a shadow over
the future of the earth. Since then, each stage of the production of nuclear weapons has caused immeasurable harm to
human health and wellbeing, and extensive contamination of the environment - from uranium mining, processing of
radioactive materials, manufacturing of nuclear warheads, through to nuclear bomb testing.
Despite ongoing widespread public opposition to nuclear weapons, and the overwhelming majority of governments around the
world now supporting the abolition of these weapons of mass destruction, little progress has been made - 20,530 nuclear
warheads remain in the arsenals of eight nuclear weapons states.
Yet other weapons of mass destruction - chemical and biological weapons - have been banned by international law, as have
some 'indiscriminate weapons' such as anti-personnel landmines and cluster munitions.
In 1987, the New Zealand government took a leading nuclear disarmament role by passing the New Zealand Nuclear Free
Zone, Disarmament and Arms Control Act to ban biological and nuclear weapons here. New Zealand was one of six
governments that led the Oslo Process to ban cluster bombs which resulted in the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions,
hosting a key meeting in Wellington as part of the process. It is time for the government to now take a leading role in
achieving a Nuclear Weapons Convention.
We therefore respectfully call on the House of Representatives to urge the government to actively engage with
'like-minded' governments committed to abolishing nuclear weapons to launch, without delay, an initiative to start the
process of negotiating a Nuclear Weapons Convention - a treaty to prohibit the development, production, testing,
deployment, stockpiling, transfer, threat of use, and use of nuclear weapons."
You can print of a copy of the petition to sign, and to collect more signatures, at http://www.icanw.org.nz
Proposal to publish the call for action to abolish nuclear weapons in national newspapers
iCAN-ANZ is currently fundraising to publish a copy of the petition in one or more national newspapers to publicise the
campaign and its objective - a nuclear weapons-free world, and for the NZ government to take action to achieve this. The
cost of publishing the petition is around $2,000 and we are seeking contributions from organisations and individuals who
would like to contribute towards the cost - a list of donor organisations and individuals (unless you would prefer to
remain anonymous) will be published on the iCAN-ANZ website. If you would like more information about assisting with the
costs of publishing the petition, please contact iCAN-ANZ email icanz@xtra.co.nz - thank you.
ENDS