Does it still matter?
Picture taken in 1971, showing a nuclear explosion in Mururoa atoll. Photo: AFP
Thirty years ago, New Zealand officially became nuclear-free with the enactment of the New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament, and Arms Control Act 1987. It was, according to Assoc. Prof Treasa Dunworth, an extraordinary step, marking out New Zealand’s independent foreign policy, and resulting in the suspension of treaty relationships with the United States.
“The culmination of decades of rising anti-nuclear sentiment and nation-wide protests, the law was truly historic and has led the way internationally. But is it significant to us in 2017? Does it still matter? Should you care? In this talk, my answer to all these question is a resounding ‘yes!’”
Other episodes in the series
Raising the Bar: Life among the robots
Raising the Bar: sharks and the brain
Raising the Bar: obesity in the womb
Raising the Bar: what drives terrorism?
About the speaker
Prof Treasa Dunworth Photo: University of Auckland
Treasa Dunworth is an Associate Professor with the University of Auckland where she teaches Public International Law, Disarmament Law and International Peace and Security.
Her current research project is examining the humanitarian discourse in disarmament and arms control.
Prior to joining the Auckland Law School in 1999, Treasa worked with the Harvard Sussex Program on Arms Control and Arms Limitation and then with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (1995-1998).
More recently, she has worked on a project with the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs examining international law issues involved in the push to open nuclear weapons disarmament negotiations.
Photo: University of Auckland
Raising the Bar was recorded in association with the University of Auckland
