Disarmament and Security Centre

12/06/2026

08/06/2026

08/06/2026

Today, SIPRI launches its annual assessment of the state of armaments, disarmament and international security. Read the summary of here ➡️ https://bit.ly/4um0jXh

18/05/2026

An excellent piece by Prof Robert Patman in Newsroom,
"For one thing, New Zealand, like many other countries, has been deeply affected by the consequences of the war.

Rapid rises in gasoline and food prices for New Zealanders meant, in the words of the Prime Minister, “there will be a hit to inflation and economic growth”.

In addition, polling on the global perceptions of the war between Iran, the US and Israel reveals Kiwis are extremely concerned about the conflict’s goals and its outcomes.

It is now time for the National-led Government to rethink the country’s foreign policy. Unprincipled hedging towards Trump’s Iran war has had strategic costs for New Zealand on multiple fronts.

First, it has deprived New Zealand of moral and legal clarity on a key global issue and has risked normalising Trump’s relentless assault on the international rules-based order on which New Zealand – and most small and middle powers – depend.

Second, New Zealand’s policy of restraint towards the lawless Trump administration has delivered few national benefits for this country and the fallout from the Iran war is now clearly inflicting substantial damage on the New Zealand economy.

Third, given that alliances are constructed to safeguard shared values and interests, it is difficult to rationalise a closer military relationship with the Trump administration when such ingredients are clearly missing.

The Trump administration does not act as if it is an ally of New Zealand. It has spent the past 16 months actively opposing core principles of New Zealand’s independent foreign policy such as respect for international law and multilateral institutions whether they be the UN, the World Trade Organization or Nato.

But New Zealand is not powerless in this global context. It can begin the task of realigning its foreign policy to deepen co-operation with other small and middle powers that actually wish to strengthen the international rules-based order, starting with reform of the UN Security Council as a top priority."

From Otago University - Comment: NZ’s soft approach to Trump’s Iran war is exposing the strategic and economic costs of trying to hedge between principle and pragmatism, writes Robert Patman.

18/05/2026

Did you know France carried our nuclear tests in Algeria?

Yes, the first one (of many) was named Blue Gerboise and decades later, radioactive waste still threatens communities and the enviroment because as a matter of fact France has had a policy of burying all waste in the sands or disposing of it in the ocean.

Nuclear disarmament must include nuclear justice and that’s why the Treaty matters.

05/05/2026

14/04/2026

Please join us for our next Disarm Kōrero session where we’ll be joined by kiwi journalist Cole Martin .in.a.box who has recently returned from 6 months living in a refugee camp in the West Bank. He’ll share with us what he experienced in Palestine, explain what life is like for Palestinians and share his thoughts on what meaningful peace looks like in the region.

Please register for the session so that we can send you the zoom code. Either, follow the link in our bio, send us a DM, or rsvp to [email protected]

We look forward to you joining us. ✌🏽🌏

30/03/2026

An excellent article below by Marianne Hanson, Associate Professor of International Relations, at The University of Queensland, discussing the double standards of the nuclear weapons states. Ultimately, there are no safe hands for nuclear weapons.

"It is possible we are at a tipping point when it comes to nuclear proliferation, with some countries suspected of wanting to develop nuclear weapon capabilities. This includes US allies South Korea and Japan.

Are the nuclear weapons states ultimately willing to accept the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and disarm in the interest of global peace and security? If they don’t, then the current trajectory of keeping one’s own nuclear weapons and waging war against states that don’t have them will only weaken an already crumbling rules-based international order."

Israel’s nuclear program has long been shrouded in secrecy. Here’s what we know about it.

09/03/2026

Join us online tomorrow, 12pm NZT, for our Disarm Kōrero where we’ll be discussing and celebrating the 5th anniversary of the with our amazing guest speakers, former NZ Disarmament Ambassador, Dell Higgie and Professor Marianne Hanson, also co-Chair of

You can register for the event through the link in our bio, or just drop us a DM and we’ll send you the details to join.

In a world that feels heavy right now, come and celebrate a positive development in disarmament and discuss how we can work towards a world free of nuclear weapons. 🌏✌🏽