Nuclear Free

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1984 – 1990+

On 10 July 1985, an act of terrorism shook the New Zealand nation and the Navy was called upon to undertake a massive salvage operation when French foreign intelligence services agents bombed and sank Greenpeace’s flagship, Rainbow Warrior. One crew member, Fernando Pereira, was killed. The attack was codenamed Operation Satanique. Only months earlier, New Zealand Prime Minister David Lange had become famous for his outstanding performance at an Oxford Union debate, successfully arguing that ‘nuclear weapons are morally indefensible’. The French had continued to test nuclear weapons.

When the Rainbow Warrior was bombed, it had been preparing to embark on another protest voyage against French testing in the Pacific. The aim of the attack was to neutralise the ship and prevent it from leading the protest. However, it only served to strengthen the anti-nuclear protest movement both in Aotearoa New Zealand and abroad. The relationship between NZ and France further deteriorated and a United Nations settlement saw France pay New Zealand $13 million. Only two French agents, Alain Mafart and Dominique Prieur, were ever held accountable, and they were released early from serving their sentences.

A naval response to the bombing occurred within two hours of the event. The salvage would continue for weeks. The ship was beyond repair.

In 1987, New Zealand passed the New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament and Arms Control Act in continuation of its nuclear-free status policy. Anti-nuclear legislation remains a cornerstone in New Zealand politics. Aotearoa New Zealand remains nuclear free to this day.

Explore the resources on this website to learn more about what happened during this time period.