Title / object name Badge
Medium Summary Plastic wrapped printed paper and metal badge
Materials metal, paper, plastic, ink
| Dimensions |
| Overall | 7 (Width/Depth) mm |
Classification badges
Technique printing
Registration Number GH011823
Credit LineGift of Ken Thomas, 2008
This badge features the CND nuclear-free symbol over a rainbow. Rainbows were associated with the international peace movement.
CND stands for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament which was launched in London in February 1958. British graphic artist Gerald Holtom designed the symbol as a white circle in a black square. The cross forms a semaphore signal for the letters N and D ('nuclear' and 'disarmament'). It was also a symbol of protest of 'the little man' against the background of the globe.
The symbol was unveiled at a British ban-the-bomb rally on 4 April 1958, and became the emblem of the anti-Vietnam War movement and 1960s counterculture. It gained currency internationally and has been used ever since to express the desire and determination for universal peace.
The CND movement began in Wellington in March 1959, followed by conventions in Dunedin (August 1959) and Christchurch (1960). Christchurch saw the adoption of the name, 'New Zealand Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament' and became the national headquarters.