The New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament, and Arms Control Act was passed into law, establishing this country as a nuclear and biological weapon-free zone.
International Relations
Events In History
4 February 1985
New Zealand's Labour government refused the USS Buchanan entry because the United States would neither confirm nor deny that the warship had nuclear capability.
28 March 1983
New Zealand and Australia formally signed the Closer Economic Relations (CER) agreement, strengthening trade ties between the Tasman neighbours.
23 June 1973
The ruling by the International Court of Justice was part of New Zealand's long campaign to end French nuclear testing in the Pacific. The French ignored the court's injunction to cease testing.
8 September 1954
The South-East Asia Collective Defence Treaty, or Manila Pact, aimed to contain the spread of communism in the region. The South-East Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) was the institutional expression of this treaty.
29 April 1952
Signed by Australia, New Zealand and the United States, the ANZUS treaty recognised that an armed attack in the Pacific area on one member would endanger the peace and safety of the others.
16 August 1944
CORSO was set up to support aid efforts in war-torn nations. It became increasingly involved in the developing world and also spoke out about poverty in New Zealand.
21 January 1944
The Canberra Pact was an undertaking by the two countries to co-operate on international matters, especially in the Pacific.
2 November 1868
On 2 November 1868, New Zealand discarded its numerous local times and became the first country to regulate its time in relation to Greenwich mean time (GMT).
Articles
First World War - overview
Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and his wife Sophie were assassinated in the Bosnian city of Sarajevo. This was a key event in sparking the Great War of 1914–18. Read the full article
Page 2 - Origins of the war
As part of the British Empire, New Zealand was formally involved in the First World War (often referred to as the Great War) by the declaration of war on Germany by King George V
Page 6 - The legacy of war
The war had a major impact on constitutional arrangements within the British Empire, and it affected New Zealand's international status.
Nuclear-free New Zealand
The sinking of the Greenpeace protest ship Rainbow Warrior in Auckland in July 1985 shocked the nation. The incident galvanised an anti-nuclear movement that had emerged in opposition to both French nuclear tests at Mururoa and American warship visits to New Zealand. Read the full article
Page 1 - Nuclear-free New Zealand
The sinking of the Greenpeace protest ship Rainbow Warrior in Auckland in July 1985 shocked the nation. The incident galvanised an anti-nuclear movement that had emerged in
Page 4 - Nuclear-free legislation
Labour leader David Lange tried to work with the Americans, but their 'neither confirm nor deny' policy made a middle ground virtually impossible to
Page 5 - Sinking the Rainbow Warrior
In 1985 New Zealand was basking in its position as leader of the anti-nuclear movement. Then on 10 July, two explosions set by French Secret Service agents ripped through the hull
The Cold War
Although the origins of the so-called Cold War can be traced back to the Bolshevik revolution of 1917, this intense ideological struggle between the Western powers and the Soviet Union really began after the Second World War. Read the full article
Page 1 - New Zealand and the Cold War
Although the origins of the so-called Cold War can be traced back to the Bolshevik revolution of 1917, this intense ideological struggle between the Western powers and the Soviet
Page 2 - Overview
New Zealand’s participation in the Cold War was shaped by its decision to support the Western powers in their confrontation with the Soviet Union after the Second World War.
Page 3 - Choosing sides
New Zealand backed Britain and the United States against the Soviet Union as the Cold War began in the late 1940s. Like the other Western Allies, New Zealand’s relationship with
Page 4 - Treaties and alliances
During the 1940s and 1950s New Zealand signed a series of collective treaties with Britain and the United States aimed at countering the threats of Japanese military resurgence
Page 5 - South-East Asia
During the 1950s the focus of New Zealand’s defence strategy shifted from the Middle East to Asia.
Page 7 - Last decade
Soviet-American tensions revived in the late 1970s as ‘détente’ (co-operation) gave way to a renewed arms race.
New Zealand and the United Nations
New Zealand has a tradition of commitment to the concept of collective security. It was a member of the League of Nations between the world wars and was active in the establishment of the United Nations in June 1945. Read the full article
Page 1 - New Zealand and the United Nations
New Zealand has a tradition of commitment to the concept of collective security. It was a member of the League of Nations between the world wars and was active in the
Page 2 - The League of Nations
New Zealand was a founding member of the League of Nations, which awarded it German Samoa as a Mandated
Page 3 - Participation in the United Nations
The United Nations Charter established six principal organs to achieve its aims. New Zealand has played a part in all of these
Page 4 - Universal Declaration of Human Rights
In 1950 the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution to adopt 10 December as Human Rights Day. New Zealand has participated actively in human rights deliberations at
Capture of German Samoa
When war broke out in Europe in August 1914, Britain asked New Zealand to seize German Samoa as a ‘great and urgent Imperial service’. Although the tiny German garrison offered no opposition, at the time it was regarded as a potentially risky action. Read the full article
Page 2 - New Zealand in the Pacific
Samoans were not consulted when Britain, Germany and the United States agreed to partition their islands in December
Biographies
At almost 76, Walter Nash was New Zealand’s oldest incoming PM and the last foreign-born one. He had two wives, Lotty and Parliament. He was still an MP when he died aged 86.
As Minister of Defence from 1912 until 1920, James Allen was responsible for the organisation of New Zealand’s military forces during the First World War.
Main image: Balkan troubles cartoon
Cartoon depicting the European 'Great Powers' struggling to stop the Balkan wars boiling over, 1912-1913.
