No WARP! (Network Opposed to Weapons and Related Production)
Date: 4 September 2006
A new national petition 'End government support for military exports' is now available in the Resources section of the
No WARP! (Network Opposed to Weapons and Related Production) web page at http://www.converge.org.nz/pma/nowarp.htm
The petition is addressed to the House of Representatives and says:
"Every day, on average, global military expenditure is more than (US)$3 billion, while close to 29,000 children under
the age of five die from mainly preventable causes; including lack of access to clean water, food and basic health care.
To provide clean water for 2.6 billion people and save an estimated 4,000 lives each day would cost just (US)$7 billion
- less than two and a half days of global military expenditure.
We, the undersigned, are appalled that the New Zealand government contributes to this deplorable situation by funding
and promoting companies involved in military and weapons related production and export.
Taxpayers' money is used to support those companies through grants, tax breaks, and the costs of providing advice and
export promotion by government departments and agencies (including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Ministry
of Defence, Ministry of Economic Development, NZ Trade and Enterprise, Crown Research Institutes, and others). Any such
use of public money is totally unacceptable to us.
We therefore demand an end to all government support for companies that produce and export:
- weapons or components for weapons systems or their guidance and control systems;
- communications equipment, or components for such systems, used by armed forces;
- military training equipment, including aircraft used for military training purposes, weapons and combat simulators,
bomb scoring systems, and remote detonation systems;
- loading equipment, vehicles, vessels, or parts of these, for military use;
- ammunition, clothing, rations or any other supplies for armed forces;
- all other products and services for military purposes, including IT, management, consultancy, maintenance, and
refurbishment of military equipment.
We also demand an end to government contracts with companies involved in the production or deployment of nuclear weapons
overseas."
Organisations supporting the petition include: Abolition 2000 Aotearoa New Zealand, Anglican Pacifist Fellowship,
Aotearoa Radical Youth, Arena, Appropriate Technology and Living Association, Auckland University Students for Justice
in Palestine, Christian World Service (Aotearoa New Zealand), Freedom Shop Collective, GATT Watchdog, Global Peace and
Justice Auckland, Golden Bay Peace Group, Indonesia Human Rights Committee, Nelson Peace Group, Pax Christi (Aotearoa
New Zealand), Peace Action Wellington, Peace Foundation, Peace Foundation Disarmament & Security Centre, Peace Movement Aotearoa, Quaker Peace and Service (Aotearoa New Zealand), Spend for Peace, Stop Rakon
Campaign, Urban Vision Inc, and the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (Aotearoa New Zealand).
The first deadline for return of signatures is 14 October 2006.
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No WARP! Network Opposed to Weapons and Related Production
c/o Peace Movement Aotearoa, PO Box 9314, Wellington,
Aotearoa / New Zealand. Tel +64 4 382 8129, fax 382 8173,
email nowarp@xtra.co.nz www.converge.org.nz/pma/nowarp.htm
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