item details
Name'New Clear Free' badge
ProductionNew Zealand Nuclear Free Zone Committee; producer; early 1980s; New Zealand
Unknown; graphic designer
Unknown; graphic designer
Classificationbadges
Materialspaper, ink, plastic, metal
DimensionsOverall: 44mm (width), 44mm (height), 5mm (depth), 44mm (diameter)
Registration NumberGH024476
Credit lineGift of the Estate of Ron and Carmen Smith, 2015
Overview
This badge plays with the words 'nuclear free' and 'New Zealand', creating 'New Clear Free'. It also refers to keeping nuclear power out of New Zealand.
In 1987, the Labour Government passed the New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament, and Arms Control Act. By 1988, 72% of New Zealand' population lived in 105 self-declared nuclear-free districts.
Wearing protest
The visual culture of anti-nuclear protest often took form in a range of popular media, including t-shirts and badges. Badges are accessible, mass-produced objects, cheap to make and purchase, easily disseminated, and effective in conveying political messages.