New Zealand
New Zealand is an example to be followed by other states, as it has adhered to all of the seven key treaties in the legal architecture on disarmament and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, in addition to being party to a nuclear-weapon-free zone (NWFZ) treaty.
TPNW Status
| Key weapons of mass destruction treaties | ||
|---|---|---|
| NUCLEAR WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the TPNW | Yes (Ratified 2018) | |
| Party to the NPT | Yes (Ratified 1969) | |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 1999) | |
| Party to an NWFZ | Yes (Ratified 1985, Rarotonga) | |
| CSA with the IAEA | Yes (In force 1972) | |
| AP with the IAEA | Yes (In force 1998) | |
| BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Ratified 1972) | |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Ratified 1996) | |
| TPNW Art. 1(1) prohibitions: Compliance in 2024 | ||
|---|---|---|
| (a) | Develop, produce, manufacture, acquire | Compliant |
| Possess or stockpile | Compliant | |
| Test | Compliant | |
| (b) | Transfer | Compliant |
| (c) | Receive transfer or control | Compliant |
| (d) | Use | Compliant |
| Threaten to use | Compliant | |
| (e) | Assist, encourage or induce | Compliant |
| (f) | Seek or receive assistance | Compliant |
| (g) | Allow stationing, installation, deployment | Compliant |
| TPNW voting and participation | |
|---|---|
| UNGA resolution on TPNW (latest vote) | Voted yes (2024) |
| Participated in 2MSP (2023) | Yes |
| Participated in 1MSP (2022) | Yes |
| Average MSP delegation size (% women) | 7.5 (41%) |
| Adoption of TPNW (7 July 2017) | Voted yes |
| Participated in TPNW negotiations (2017) | Yes |
| Negotiation mandate (A/RES/71/258) | Voted yes |
| Fissile material | |
|---|---|
| Nuclear facilities | No |
| Fissile material production | No |
| HEU stocks | No |
| Plutonium stocks | No |
| SQP with the IAEA | Yes (Modified) |
Latest developments
As part of the inter-sessional process for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), New Zealand currently serves as a co-chair, together with Malaysia, of the informal working group on the implementation of Article 4 of the Treaty, ‘in particular work related to the future designation of a competent international authority or authorities’ that would oversee the elimination of nuclear weapons.1 In 2024, New Zealand played a key role, alongside Ireland, in the establishment of a UN panel tasked with ‘examining the physical effects and societal consequences of a nuclear war’.2
At the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) Preparatory Committee session in July 2024, New Zealand noted that its obligations under the TPNW, the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), and the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty ‘complement and supplement those of the NPT’.3 It questioned ‘the long-term sustainability’ of the NPT as the cornerstone of the nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime given the continued failure of the nuclear-weapon states to fulfil their obligations.4
At the same meeting, New Zealand delivered a joint statement on behalf of the states parties to the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty, which noted that ‘The scars of nuclear testing continue to mark our people and environment, and reinforce to our countries the unacceptable humanitarian costs and risks posed by nuclear war’. The states also expressed their ‘region’s steadfast opposition to nuclear weapons’ while noting the TPNW’s entry into force in 2021.5
At a high-level UN event to commemorate the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons on 26 September 2024, New Zealand called on ‘all States to join the [TPNW], as the clearest rejection possible of nuclear weapons’. ‘Progress on disarmament cannot be deferred any longer, whatever other challenges we are facing,’ it said.6
In the First Committee of the UN General Assembly in October 2024, New Zealand described the TPNW as ‘one practical step’ that some members of the international community have taken to reduce nuclear risks and advance disarmament.7 It congratulated the Solomon Islands, Indonesia and Sierra Leone on their recent ratifications of the Treaty.8
New Zealand was one of the co-sponsors for the 2024 UN General Assembly resolution on the TPNW, which called upon ‘all States that have not yet done so to sign, ratify, accept, approve or accede to the Treaty at the earliest possible date’.9
Recommendations
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New Zealand should continue to encourage other states to adhere to the TPNW.
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New Zealand should ensure that all the TPNW obligations are implemented domestically, through legal, administrative, and other necessary measures.