Greenpeace Aotearoa New Zealand
Encyclopedia
Greenpeace Aotearoa New Zealand (GPNZ) is one of New Zealand's
largest environmental organisations, and is a national office of the global environmental organisation Greenpeace
.
Greenpeace Aotearoa New Zealand emerged from an amalgam of 1960’s and 1970’s NZ peace groups and activists, who had for a decade been actively promoting their opposition to the Vietnam War and nuclear testing. In particular, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (NZ)
who were nationally campaigning against French nuclear testing in French Polynesia
since 1961, culminating in a 80,238 signed petition presented to the New Zealand Government in 1962 demanding they take punitive action against the French to enforce a nuclear test ban in the pacific. Other groups in the peace collective included the NZ Peace Media, NZ Friends of the Earth
, the Auckland Peace Squadron and Project Jonah.
There were two key developments in the New Zealand peace movement in 1974. The first was the official formation of the Greenpeace Foundation of New Zealand in April through the union of a collective of peace groups and their supporters. The second was the decision to send the yacht Fri
on an epic voyage around the Pacific carrying the peace message to all nuclear weapons states. Fri’s Pacific Peace Odyssey, a 25,000 mile adventure across the Pacific and Indian Oceans was partially financed and co-ordinated by Greenpeace New Zealand and would last till 1977.
Greenpeace Aotearoa New Zealand gained national prominence in the 1970s and 1980s for its action against nuclear testing
in French Polynesia
, and acquired huge public sympathy after the French
bombing of the Greenpeace ship the Rainbow Warrior
in Auckland Harbour in 1985. The long campaign against whaling
championed by Greenpeace is an issue which has had the full support of the New Zealand Government since the mid 1980s.
, deforestation
, the release of genetically engineered organisms
into the natural environment, climate change
, and toxics. It uses tactics of non-violent direct action to draw attention to what it considers significant threats to the environment, and then lobbies for solutions.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
largest environmental organisations, and is a national office of the global environmental organisation Greenpeace
Greenpeace
Greenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...
.
History
Greenpeace Aotearoa New Zealand was founded in 1974, two years after the original Greenpeace, to protect the natural environment.Greenpeace Aotearoa New Zealand emerged from an amalgam of 1960’s and 1970’s NZ peace groups and activists, who had for a decade been actively promoting their opposition to the Vietnam War and nuclear testing. In particular, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (NZ)
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (NZ)
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament was co-founded in Christchurch New Zealand in 1959 with the help of Elsie Locke and Mary Woodward. Mabel Hetherington, who belonged to an earlier generation of peace activists from England, was largely responsible for setting up CND in Auckland when she moved to...
who were nationally campaigning against French nuclear testing in French Polynesia
French Polynesia
French Polynesia is an overseas country of the French Republic . It is made up of several groups of Polynesian islands, the most famous island being Tahiti in the Society Islands group, which is also the most populous island and the seat of the capital of the territory...
since 1961, culminating in a 80,238 signed petition presented to the New Zealand Government in 1962 demanding they take punitive action against the French to enforce a nuclear test ban in the pacific. Other groups in the peace collective included the NZ Peace Media, NZ Friends of the Earth
Friends of the Earth
Friends of the Earth International is an international network of environmental organizations in 76 countries.FOEI is assisted by a small secretariat which provides support for the network and its agreed major campaigns...
, the Auckland Peace Squadron and Project Jonah.
There were two key developments in the New Zealand peace movement in 1974. The first was the official formation of the Greenpeace Foundation of New Zealand in April through the union of a collective of peace groups and their supporters. The second was the decision to send the yacht Fri
Fri (yacht)
Fri is a yacht that spearheaded an international protest of a flotilla of yachts in a voyage against atmospheric nuclear tests at Moruroa in French Polynesia in 1973...
on an epic voyage around the Pacific carrying the peace message to all nuclear weapons states. Fri’s Pacific Peace Odyssey, a 25,000 mile adventure across the Pacific and Indian Oceans was partially financed and co-ordinated by Greenpeace New Zealand and would last till 1977.
Greenpeace Aotearoa New Zealand gained national prominence in the 1970s and 1980s for its action against nuclear testing
Nuclear testing
Nuclear weapons tests are experiments carried out to determine the effectiveness, yield and explosive capability of nuclear weapons. Throughout the twentieth century, most nations that have developed nuclear weapons have tested them...
in French Polynesia
French Polynesia
French Polynesia is an overseas country of the French Republic . It is made up of several groups of Polynesian islands, the most famous island being Tahiti in the Society Islands group, which is also the most populous island and the seat of the capital of the territory...
, and acquired huge public sympathy after the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
bombing of the Greenpeace ship the Rainbow Warrior
Sinking of the Rainbow Warrior
The sinking of the Rainbow Warrior, codenamed Opération Satanique, was an operation by the "action" branch of the French foreign intelligence services, the Direction Générale de la Sécurité Extérieure , carried out on July 10, 1985...
in Auckland Harbour in 1985. The long campaign against whaling
Whaling
Whaling is the hunting of whales mainly for meat and oil. Its earliest forms date to at least 3000 BC. Various coastal communities have long histories of sustenance whaling and harvesting beached whales...
championed by Greenpeace is an issue which has had the full support of the New Zealand Government since the mid 1980s.
Campaigns
Greenpeace Aotearoa New Zealand also campaigns against nuclear weapons and nuclear powerNuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
, deforestation
Deforestation
Deforestation is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a nonforest use. Examples of deforestation include conversion of forestland to farms, ranches, or urban use....
, the release of genetically engineered organisms
Genetic engineering
Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification, is the direct human manipulation of an organism's genome using modern DNA technology. It involves the introduction of foreign DNA or synthetic genes into the organism of interest...
into the natural environment, climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
, and toxics. It uses tactics of non-violent direct action to draw attention to what it considers significant threats to the environment, and then lobbies for solutions.
Greenpeace mission statement
- To maintain its independence, Greenpeace does not solicit or accept funding from governments, corporations or political parties.
- Greenpeace does not seek or accept donations that could compromise its independence, aims, objectives or integrity.
- Greenpeace relies on grant-support from foundations and the voluntary donations of individual supporters.
- Greenpeace is committed to the principles of non-violence, political independence and internationalism.
- Greenpeace is non-party political, it does not align itself with any political party. In exposing threats to the environment and in working to find solutions, Greenpeace claims that it has no permanent allies or enemies.
See also
- New Zealand's nuclear-free zoneNew Zealand's nuclear-free zoneIn 1984, Prime Minister David Lange barred nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed ships from using New Zealand ports or entering New Zealand waters. Under the New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament, and Arms Control Act 1987, territorial sea, land and airspace of New Zealand became nuclear-free zones...
- Fri (yacht)Fri (yacht)Fri is a yacht that spearheaded an international protest of a flotilla of yachts in a voyage against atmospheric nuclear tests at Moruroa in French Polynesia in 1973...
- Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (NZ)Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (NZ)Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament was co-founded in Christchurch New Zealand in 1959 with the help of Elsie Locke and Mary Woodward. Mabel Hetherington, who belonged to an earlier generation of peace activists from England, was largely responsible for setting up CND in Auckland when she moved to...
- Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New ZealandRoyal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New ZealandThe Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand Inc. is an environmental organisation specialising in conservation of indigenous plant and animal life in and around New Zealand....
- a major conservation organisation