End taxpayer investment in nuclear weapons
green-party
Thu Jun 07 2007 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)
End taxpayer investment in nuclear weapons
Thursday, 7 June 2007, 5:11 pm
Press Release: Green Party
Petition calls for end to taxpayer investment in nuclear weapons
Green Media Release - 7th June 2007
Greens Co-Leader Russel Norman is presenting a petition to Parliament tomorrow - the 20th anniversary of nuclear free laws - calling for the Government to stop investing money in nuclear weapons.
A major Green Party report issued in February showed the Government's New Zealand Super Fund is investing taxpayers' money in nuclear weapons manufacture. After Green Party pressure, Finance Minister Michael Cullen last month announced KiwiSaver providers should disclose their approach to ethical investing, but he did not target the New Zealand Super Fund for investing in nuclear weapons manufacture.
The petition of 830 people says, "We the undersigned ask that the House inquire into the activities of the New Zealand Superannuation Fund and amend the NZ Superannuation and Retirement Income Act 2001 to oblige the fund to invest in a socially and environmentally responsible manner". A note with the petition says, "The NZ Superannuation Fund has invested taxpayers' money in war profiteering (such as Halliburton) and the manufacturers of nuclear weapons and cluster bombs. We say the fund should not be investing our money in these types of companies."
Dr Norman says he has had a huge amount of feedback from people concerned about the millions of dollars going into unethical investments such as weapons.
"Many support the views of Alberto Costi, Victoria University senior law lecturer, who said (in The Listener) about the Government: ".they've taken a strong stand against nuclear weapons - and yet they haven't done enough to ensure we don't have anything to do with their production".
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Mr Costi, who is editor-at-large of the Journal of Public and International Law and a specialist in international law was quoted as saying also that if the investments in nuclear weapons were not technically illegal, they "make a mockery of our international reputation".
Says Dr Norman: "Disarmament Minister Phil Goff is due to speak at a forum at Canterbury University on Saturday celebrating the Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament and Arms Control laws which came into force on June 8, 1987.
"I hope he explains to the forum why the Government has allowed taxpayers' money to be invested in companies such as Northrop Grumman Corp and EADS (European Aeronautic Defence & Space Company), both of which are involved in nuclear weapons production."
ENDS
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