Nuclear Testing in the pacific
The continued nuclear testing by France in the Pacific caused anger and fear in New Zealand. From 1946-1996 the United States, France and the United Kingdom carried out nuclear tests in the Pacific.
New Zealander's were outraged when France started testing in Mururoa Atoll in 1966, partially because the effect that the tests have on the environment last thousands of years. The environmental damage on Mururoa Atoll is extensive. France’s testing in the Pacific caused an underwater landslide of coral and rock, this was one of the incidents that sparked the Greenpeace protests at Mururoa Atoll. New Zealand and Australia to launch a case against France in the International Court of Justice in order for the French testing to be stopped in 1972. As a result of this France were ordered to stop atmospheric testing at Mururoa Atoll while the case was being heard, however the French ignored this and continued to carry out atmospheric tests. Jenny Shipley, a member of Parliament and later the Prime Minister of New Zealand said, "The decision by France to resume nuclear testing in the South Pacific has destroyed this hope and raised a storm of protest at home, in the South Pacific and thankfully around the world." There were major health risks associated with nuclear test sites in French Polynesia, including the risk of cancer and other serious diseases. French journalist, Luis Gonzales-Mata, said in 1976 there were secret military flights from French Polynesia to Paris in order to treat cancer as a result of the radiation. Then, in 1982, Dr. Helen Caldicott and her husband Dr. William Caldicott came to New Zealand to lead a public education campaign about the medical dangers of nuclear energy, nuclear weapons and nuclear war. Her public speeches had a significant effect on New Zealander's. People who were activists during her time in New Zealand said that she had straightforward, candid descriptions of the outcome of nuclear testing for the Pacific region, including New Zealand. This gave New Zealander's a unique way of viewing the issue and was very successful as it pushed more protests surrounding the issue of nuclear testing. |
A 1971 poll showed 82% of New Zealanders were opposed to French testing in the Pacific. |