This is a public webinar. You can register here.
From Pacific Island protests to international diplomacy, Aotearoa’s anti-nuclear movement is a cornerstone of our national identity and independent foreign policy. But in an era of rising global tensions, emerging technologies and renewed challenges to sovereign decision-making, what does it mean to remain nuclear free today? Join us in marking the 40th anniversary of the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior, bringing together a panel of experts and activists to reflect on the development, legacy and future of New Zealand’s nuclear free stance.
The panelists include:
- Dr Kate Dewes ONZM has been an anti-nuclear campaigner and peace educator for over 50 years. She coordinated the South Island office of the Peace Foundation from 1979 and then co-directed the Christchurch Disarmament & Security Centre (DSC) with Robert Green from 1998-2021. She was on the International Steering Committee for the World Court Project and a Vice President of International Peace Bureau; a member of the Public Advisory Committee on Disarmament and Arms Control; part-time lecturer in Peace Studies at the University of Canterbury for 20 years; the New Zealand government expert on the UN Study on Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Education 2000-2002; a member of the UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters 2008-2013 and a member of the Asia Pacific Leadership Network.
- Russel Norman is one of New Zealand’s leading voices on sustainability. He has been Executive Director of Greenpeace Aotearoa New Zealand since November 2015. Before that he was an MP and co-leader of the Green Party. Russel was born in Brisbane and was involved in a wide range of social and environmental campaigns in Australia before moving to New Zealand in 1997. Since then he has continued to agitate for a greener world. He lives in Auckland with his partner and three young children.
- Dr Kennedy Graham is a former diplomat, UN official, academic and MP with a career spanning international law, climate policy and global governance. He is an experienced academic, having taught international law at both Victoria and Canterbury University, written five books on international affairs, and held visiting roles at Cambridge University and the College of Europe. He has served in diplomatic postings in Ottawa, Bangkok and Geneva, and contributed to major UN panels on security and development. He was a key contributor to negotiations for the South Pacific Nuclear-Free Zone. As an MP (2008-17), he founded GLOBE-NZ, a cross-party climate initiative. From 2013-2024, he was founding Director of the NZ Centre for Global Studies.
- Kevin Hackwell is a leading New Zealand conservationist and the former Chief Conservation Officer at Forest & Bird. He began his activism career at fifteen, campaigning against native forest logging on the West Coast, and has played a key role in conservation campaigns across New Zealand ever since. Kevin has worked at the confluence of civil society, environmental science and political policy-making. His work at Forest & Bird helped to shape national conservation strategies across forest and freshwater management. With experience shaping conservation outcomes across Aotearoa, Kevin’s career reflects a lifelong commitment to protecting Aotearoa’s natural heritage.
