A Washington perspective

Came across this Washington Post list of ten things American tourists should know about Aoteroa. Here's number four ;

4. Nuclear Free

You might want to be prepared if a New Zealander comes at you with this one: "Why doesn't America want us to be nuclear free?" Here are the basics as they apply to the U.S. and as we understand them: New Zealanders overwhelming want their country to be 100 percent nuclear free and they've elected governments who have passed legislation to ensure that. This extended to a ban on nuclear powered/armed ships, which inevitably caused problems for the U.S. and N.Z.'s mutual defense treaty (Anzus Treaty).

The U.S. Navy has a keep-your-cards-hidden policy of neither confirming nor denying nuclear material aboard its vessels and so they are unwelcome in N.Z. ports. The U.S. sees it as a betrayal of commitment and a slap in the face, whereas N.Z. sees it as a point of morality and national pride.

The result is that (a) no American military ship has docked in a New Zealand port for over 20 years, (b) no free trade agreement can be established between the two countries, and strangest of all (c) unsuspecting American tourists will occasionally be confronted by Kiwi tour guides bearing a grudge. This diplomatic standoff was big news in the States during the Cold War, but it mostly just makes headlines in N.Z. these days. Well, thank goodness for the Web because if you attempt to shyly profess ignorance that just makes your civic-minded guide angrier as he mounts his soapbox.

You can study up more about it here and here. (Unfortunately, no links to an American point of view could be found, which probably reflects the general level of interest on this side of the Pacific. After all, N.Z. is 45th on the list of U.S. trading partners. Love their movies though!)