Peace Group Golden Bay
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Spectrum for 20 February 2011
The Golden Bay Peace Group had its genesis in 1978 when many commune-dwellers discovered the growing movement towards local nuclear free zones. The Peace Group recently opened a display in the Golden… Read more Audio
Golden Bay Peace Blanket. (from left) Peni Connolly, Helen Kingston, Dorothy Weta, Ginny Stocker.
The idea of local nuclear free zones was imported from the Nile River Festival held on the South Island's West Coast in 1978. The Golden Bay Peace Group was formed with the aim of creating a nuclear free zone over the area covered by the Golden Bay County Council.
Awareness grew, promoted by Peace Walks and a petition which was presented to the Council. Conservatives in Golden Bay regarded the whole idea as just another hippie extravagance but the hard-working Peace Group won wide support and eventually the Council voted to make Golden Bay a nuclear free area.
The Peace Group recently mounted a display in the Takaka museum which tells their story. Spectrum's Jack Perkins attended the opening.
