Disarmament and Arms Control

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Kia ora tatou

Good evening and thanks so much for the introduction.

76 years ago today, during World War II, the unthinkable happened. As the people of Hiroshima were starting their day, an atomic bomb was detonated above their heads.

Some of you may have been surprised when you received an invitation from the Minister of Disarmament and Arms Control, and I would forgive you if you were.

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Launch of Parliamentary Handbook on Disarmament for Security & Sustainable Development - virtual event 

I’d like to start with a thank you to the AI Forum Executive for getting this event off the ground and for all their work and support to date.

Thank you for joining me here this evening for what is part of an ongoing conversation about New Zealand’s work on disarmament, and how that intersects with New Zealand’s broader approach to peace and security, and to our foreign policy.

It is such a pleasure to be here in Dunedin, and to have this chance to talk with you about key issues within my disarmament and arms control portfolio.

I am so pleased to be able to join you for part of this workshop, which I’m confident will help us along the path to developing New Zealand’s national policy on the issue of Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems.

I’m thrilled to be standing here as a dedicated Minister for Disarmament and Arms Control, which I hope reinforces for you all – and for our friends and partners offshore – how serious this Government is about pursuing New Zealand’s objectives in this portfolio.

It is a great pleasure to be here this afternoon to celebrate such an historic occasion - the entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.