Poster, 'No Nuclear Warships in N.Z. Ports'

This poster was produced for a specific protest march in Auckland against a visiting warship from the United States Navy.

Anzus obligations

New Zealand, Australia, and the United States signed the Anzus treaty, a mutual defence agreement, in 1951. Under its Anzus obligations, the New Zealand government allowed nuclear-capable warships and vessels to visit New Zealand ports from 1976. These visits were met with flotillas of protest yachts and boats.

Dangerous visitors

Anti-nuclear protest in New Zealand was distinctive because of these regular port visits. Though never used for nuclear testing, New Zealand was visited by about 120 American and British nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed vessels between 1960 and 1984. Since 1984, the New Zealand government has refused entry to all such vessels.