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PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, FEBRUARY 8, 1985
PAGE 9
the U.S. and Britain which have declared their localities "nuclear-free
zones." Mr. Lange in fact has pledged to introduce legislation soon to make
New Zealand a nuclear-free zone. He would like to see the entire South
Pacific declared "nuclear free."
While Mr. Lange has called his government's dispute with Washington a
"smallish issue," the U.S. is not taking it lightly at all. The State De
partment is concerned that such unilateral action by an ally could embolden
anti-nuclear, anti-u.s. elements in other key countries, from Australia to
Japan to NATO allies in Europe.
Ironically, even though Australia's Prime Minister Bob Hawke wrote a stern
letter to Mr. Lange warning him of the consequences of his action, he must
tread lightly in his own country. In a rather embarrassing development on
the eve of his current visit to Washington, Mr. Hawke had to inform the U.S.
of his country's decision not to provide logistical support to a U.S. test
firing of an MX missile, originally to have landed in the Tasman Sea between
Australia and New Zealand. The generally conservative Mr. Hawke told U.S.
officials he was under extreme pressure from the left wing of his party to
cancel Australia's involvement in the test. The State Department avoided a
second ANZUS crisis by relocating the test to make Australian participation
no longer necessary.
For a background on New Zealand's "peace activist" prime minister as well
as what some claim to be a rather dramatic shift in New Zealand's public
mood, here is a February 5 Reuter's report datelined Wellington, New Zea
land:
Fan mail congratulating Prime Minister David Lange on his tough
anti-nuclear stand against the United States is flooding into his
office, his staff said today••• ; As the result of Wellington's
anti-nuclear stand, Lange finds himself the pin-up boy of peace
groups and many ordinary people.
It is an image which sits well with him. The former Methodist lay
preacher has progressed in a few years from a back-street lawyer
among Auckland's disadvantaged to a world political figure.
Lange speaks of the government's "moral imperative" not to back
down. "I have very few really burning convictions in political
life, and being opposed to nuclear armaments escalation and their
existence is one of them," he told a press conference last week.
Lange did not sweep to power last July on the promise of a nu
clear-free New Zealand. He won more by default as New Zealanders
put aside their basic conservatism in their anxiety to be rid of
the long-serving Sir Robert Muldoon. But once in control Lange
has proved himself a remarkably adroit and persuasive leader, ac
cording to political analysts••••
In a country in which opinion polls are relatively infrequent, it
is impossible to judge accurately his current support on this is
sue. In August last year a poll showed that 58 per cent of New
Zealanders were opposed to visits by nuclear-armed warships,
against 30 per cent who supported them. Twelve per cent had no
opinion. At the same time 59 per cent favored visits by nuclear
powered ships•••against 29 per cent who were against.