70 years after the Geneva Conventions, the rules of war are still saving lives

To mark International Day of Peace, Dr Rebecca Dudley of the New Zealand Red Cross explores the role that New Zealanders play in the global story of war and peace.  Personal stories about war almost always begin with a memory. A humid afternoon in South Sudan. A calm Wednesday evening in Beirut. A bustling shopping … Read more

How small states like NZ could save the superpowers from disaster

The man who must not be named dominates all discussion, but there is cause for some optimism springing from the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, writes Beatrice Fihn of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons Will we survive? That’s really the big question, right? Day-to-day, month-to-month, year-to-year. Will we make it? Will our … Read more

The Monday Excerpt: The day Catholic activists disabled the Waihopai spy station

Adi Leason tells the full, unlikely story of the Catholic activists who invaded the government’s surveillance station at Waihopi, and deflated its famous dome. It was after 5pm when Manu and I finally arrived in Picton. Sam and Father Peter were waiting for us in a rental car. We joked around about a last supper and … Read more

Could one handshake herald peace at last for Korea?

Last night North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean president Moon Jae-in met for the first time, pledging a new era of friendship between the two countries. In today’s Cheat Sheet: is peace finally about to come for the people of Korea?  What’s all this about then? The leaders of North and … Read more

30 ways campaigners changed Aotearoa for the better, despite nine years of National

As we wait for the government announcement today, let’s reflect on the power of the individual to effect change, whatever the political party in power, writes peace activist Jessie Anne Dennis. Recently, a friend told me that part of what fuels her to be an activist is that she’s not a content person. Everything can … Read more

‘Blood on your hands’: activists get ready to protest the weapons expo

Call it the NZ Defence Industry Association Forum or the Weapons Expo – peace activists want it stopped. As the 2017 forum gets ready to open on Tuesday, Alex Braae discovers how protesters are planning to disrupt it. The lines of protesters are sitting on the ground, arms linked. They’re blocking the door behind them, … Read more