Nuclear Free Zone Update

26 January 2001

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Nuclear Free Zone Update
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Kia ora,

the two ships carrying nuclear waste from France to Japan, and the ship which has just left Sydney on its way to France carrying radioactive rods from the Lucas Heights reactor - all of which will pass through the Tasman Sea - have highlighted again the problems with the NZ nuclear free zone. As many of you are aware, there is a bill currently at Select Committee stage to extend the NZ nuclear free zone from 12 miles to 200 miles from the coast and to prohibit the transit of high level nuclear waste, nuclear weapons and nuclear-power ships through that extended zone. As you may also be aware, the government has clearly stated they will not allow that bill to pass into law.

You can still make submissions on the proposed legislation, the New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone Extension Bill (2000) - the deadline has been extended again to 15 February 2001. This is the absolutely final extension of the deadline for submissions. If you haven’t already sent yours in (or you wish to add to a submission you have already made), you need to act on this quickly - see ‘To make a submission’ section below.

For more information about the Bill, and suggestions for some points you could make in your submission, you can check out the PMA briefing at: http://www.converge.org.nz/pma/subnfz.htm

For more detailed material, including existing domestic law which gives a precedent for excluding vessels from the Exclusive Economic Zone, check out the WILPF submission at: http://www.converge.org.nz/pma/suwilpf.htm

** To make a submission:

~ send twenty copies of your submission to David Sanders;

~ if you wish to appear before the Committee in person to speak to your submission later in the year, you should indicate that in a covering letter to be sent with your submission, together with your daytime telephone number.

~ to send supplementary information to add to your original submission - you need to send twenty copies to David Sanders with a covering letter stating it is supplementary material to your submission (and clearly identifying your original submission!).

All correspondence, submissions, and supplementary information should be sent to David Sanders, Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Select Committee, Bowen House, Parliament Buildings, Wellington, Aotearoa / New Zealand. If you wish to check anything about the submissions process with David , you can fax him on 04 499 0486. If you are faxing from overseas, the number is + 64 4 499 0486.

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Peace Movement Aotearoa the national networking peace group PO Box 9314, Wellington, Aotearoa / New Zealand. tel +64 4 382 8129, fax 382 8173, website Internet Peace Gateway
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